APR   8   1910 


Bivisfou    13^  is  45" 

Section 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL 


;  0?  p4ii^/?ir: 


APR  8   191 « 


%OSinALS' 


AN  ANALYTICAL  EXPOSITION 


By  ARNO  C.  GAEBELEIN 

Author  of  Commentaries  on   Daniel,  Joel,  Zechariah, 

Matthew,    Acts,    Revelation,    etc., 

Editor  of  "Our  Hope." 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


London 


Edinburgh 


Copyright  1918 
By    a.  C.  Gaebelein. 


CONTENTS 

PACI 

Introduction  by  James  M.  Gray 3 

The  Prophet  Ezekiel 5 

Analysis  of  the  Book 11 

Predictions  Before  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem 15 

Predictions  After  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem 215 

Map  of  Ground  Plan  of  the  Temple 269 

Map  of  The  Division  of  the  Land 338 


INTRODUCTION 

I  know  of  no  expounder  of  Holy  Scripture  on  this  side  of 
the  Atlantic  in  the  same  class  as  Mr.  Gaebelein.  His  work 
on  the  Old  Testament  prophets  especially  is  unique.  To 
understand  and  expound  them  not  for  scholars  but  for  the 
people,  calls  for  a  combination  of  gifts  bestowed  upon  very 
few. 

Such  a  teacher  must  believe  in  the  inerrancy  of  the  auto- 
graphs of  Scripture.  He  must  interpret  it  literally  except 
where  it  clearly  indicates  to  the  contrary.  He  must  appre- 
hend the  dispensational  scope  of  its  teaching.  He  must 
know  and  rely  upon  the  Holy  Spirit  as  the  revealer  of  the 
truth  whose  record  He  has  inspired.  He  must  have  a 
working  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew  text  and  be  able  to  pass 
intelligently  on  questions  of  Biblical  Criticism.  He  must 
be  familiar  with  the  writings  of  others  who  have  preceded 
him.  He  must  be  a  platform  man  in  constant  communi- 
cation with  the  people  whom  he  would  instruct.  He  must 
be  no  dreamer,  but  wide-awake  to  current  events  and  capable 
of  looking  upon  and  dealing  with  them  in  a  practical  way. 
He  must  use  simple  terms  and  express  himself  in  plain 
speech. 

Mr.  Gaebelein  meets  all  these  demands,  for  which  we 
who  reap  the  benefits  give  God  the  praise. 

Circumstances  have  prevented  my  reading  all  the  chapters 
of  this  present  volume  on  Ezekiel,  and  hence  I  do  not  under- 
take to  endorse  every  detail  of  interpretation  it  contains, 
but  a  general  acquaintance  with  the  author's  point  of  view 
as  expressed  in  his  volumes  on  Daniel,  Joel,  Zechariah, 
Matthew  and  Revelation  leads  me  to  commend  it  strongly. 

Pastors,  evangelists,  Bible  teachers  and  Christians  gen- 
erally who  would  be  counted  among  the  wise  who  under- 
stand, need  such  helps  as  this  as  an  antidote  to  the  false 
teaching  flooding  the  church  today,  and  to  enable  them  to 
stand  up  against  the  wiles  of  Satan  on  every  hand.  Familiar- 
ity with  the  revelation  of  God  in  the  Old  Testament  is  simply 
indispensable  to  the  Christian  witness  in  this  twentieth 
century,  and  to  the  soldiers  of  Christ  in  this  crucial  hour  of 
spiritual  combat. 

JAMES  M.  GRAY 

The  Moody  Bible  Institute, 
Chicago,  111. 


The  Prophet  EzekieL 

INTRODUCTION. 

From  the  opening  verses  of  the  Book,  which  bears  the  name 
of  the  prophet  Ezekiel,  we  learn  that  he  was  the  son  of  Buzi 
the  priest,  and  belonged  consequently  to  the  much  honored 
Zadok  family.  That  he  knew  the  nobility  of  Jerusalem  well 
and  was  intimate  with  them  may  be  indirectly  learned  from 
the  eleventh  chapter.  Rabbinical  tradition  identifies  Buzi 
(which  means  "contempt")  with  Jeremiah  and  makes  him  a 
son  of  that  prophet.  There  is,  however,  no  positive  evi- 
dence for  this.  Eleven  years  before  the  complete  ruin  of 
the  city  and  the  temple  was  effected  by  the  King  of  Baby- 
lon, Ezekiel  was  carried  away  into  the  captivity.  This 
deportation  is  recorded  in  2  Kings  xxiv:14.  "And  he  carried 
away  all  Jerusalem,  and  all  the  princes,  and  all  the  mighty 
men  of  valor,  even  ten  thousand  captives,  and  all  the  crafts- 
men and  smiths,  none  remained  save  the  poorest  sort  of 
the  people  of  the  land."  Before  Ezekiel  with  the  princes 
and  the  mighty  men  were  taken  into  captivity,  others  had 
been  removed  to  Babylon,  notably  Daniel  and  his  three 
companions.  This  was  in  fulfillment  of  Isaiah  xxxiv:6-7. 
Ezekiel  must  have  known  Daniel  personally.  His  name  is 
found  three  times  in  this  book  (chapters  xiv:14,  20;  xxviii:3). 

Ezekiel  was  not  a  youth,  as  generally  supposed,  when  he 
was  deported  to  Babylon,  for  the  matured  character  of  a 
priest  which  appears  in  his  writings  and  his  full  and  intimate 
acquaintance  with  the  temple  service,  render  such  a  sup- 
position highly  improbable.  Jewish  tradition  declares  that 
he  exercised  already  the  prophetic  offic*  before  he  was  carried 
away.  The  much  disputed  phrase  "in  the  thirtieth  year" 
(chapter  i:l)  we  hope  to  examine  more  closely  in  our  expo- 
sition. 


6  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  name  Ezekiel  means  "strengthened  by  God."  It  has 
been  stated  by  some  that  this  is  not  the  original  name  of  the 
prophet,  but  his  official  title,  which  he  adopted  on  account  of 
his  ministry  among  the  people.  Very  interesting  on  this 
controverted  point  is  the  statement  of  a  rabbinical  com- 
ment. The  declaration  is  made  that  the  prophets  of  God 
received  their  significant  names,  so  closely  linked  with  and 
expressive  of  the  character  of  their  messages,  from  above  and 
not  according  to  the  will  of  their  earthly  parents.  God 
called  them  to  their  work  and  had  them  named  accordingly 
before  they  ever  entered  upon  their  offices  as  prophets.  We 
believe  this  may  be  correct,  especially  in  view  of  Jeremiah  i:5. 

The  place  where  we  find  Ezekiel  is  the  river  Chebar. 
This  river  is  now  known  by  the  name  Kahour.  It  emptied 
into  the  Euphrates  north  of  Babylon  and  was  also  called 
Nar-Kabari,  the  great  canal.  Here  Nebuchadnezzar  had 
started  a  colony  of  captives.  In  chapter  iii:15,  the  name 
of  the  place  is  given,  it  was  at  Tel-abib.  In  this  settlement 
the  prophet  seems  to  have  lived.  Two  passages  in  the  book 
tell  us  that  he  had  his  own  house  (iii:24;  viii:l).  We  also 
know  that  he  was  married  (xxiv:16-18).  The  death  of 
his  wife  is  the  only  event  he  mentions  of  his  personal  history 
and  that  would  probably  have  not  been  recorded  if  it  were 
not  connected  with  his  prophetic  office.  The  prophecies 
he  uttered  among  the  captives  are  carefully  dated.  The 
first  date  is  found  in  chapter  i:l-2.  He  began  his  prophetic 
office  on  the  fifth  day  of  the  fourth  month  (Tammuz)  in  the 
fifth  year  of  King  Jehoiachin's  captivity.  The  latest  date 
is  recorded  in  chapter  xxix:17.  Here  we  have  the  twenty- 
seventh  year,  so  that  the  prophecies  of  Ezekiel  cover  a 
period  of  about  twenty-two  years. 

Ezekiel's  great  prophetic  ministry  is  closely  connected 
with  that  of  Jeremiah.  When  Ezekiel  had  his  first  great 
vision   on   the  banks   of   the   river   Chebar,   Jeremiah   had 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  7 

already  been  a  prophet  for  thirty-five  years.  Only  a  few 
years  more  remained  for  this  great  man  of  God.  That 
Ezekiel  must  have  been  acquainted  with  Jeremiah  and  his 
messages  of  warning  and  exhortation  is  more  than  likely. 
Yet  it  is  strange  there  is  not  a  single  reference  to  Jeremiah  in 
the  entire  book  of  Ezekiel.  It  is  strange  in  view  of  the  fact 
that  the  messages  of  these  two  men  have  so  much  in  com- 
mon. Critics  make  the  assertion  that  Ezekiel  as  a  prophet 
was  moulded  by  the  teaching  of  Jeremiah.  Kuenen  claims 
that  Ezekiel  must  have  been  for  many  years  the  close  student 
of  Jeremiah's  writings.  Before  Ezekiel  proceeded  to  write 
his  own  prophecies,  his  mind,  it  is  claimed,  had  become  so 
saturated  with  the  ideas  and  language  of  Jeremiah  that  every 
part  of  his  book  betrays  the  influence  of  his  predecessor. 
This  view  would  make  Ezekiel  an  enthusiastic  admirer  and 
copyist  of  Jeremiah.  But  in  the  book  of  Ezekiel  the  phrases 
"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God"— "The  Word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  me" — occur  over  and  over  again.  The  words  he 
spoke,  the  mighty  messages  he  delivered,  were  not  produced 
by  the  influence  of  Jeremiah  nor  by  his  example,  but  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Other  critics  have  even  done  greater  dis- 
honor to  this  chosen  instrument  of  the  Lord  and  to  the  Word 
he  preached.  We  quote  from  The  New  Century  Bible: 
"It  would  appear  that  there  runs  through  all  the  prophet's 
activities,  at  least  in  the  earlier  period,  a  strain  of  mental 
abnormality — perhaps  of  actual  malady.  By  some  writers 
this  has  been  supposed  to  be  a  form  of  catalepsy.  Probably 
Ezekiel  was  no  more  a  cataleptic  than  Paul;  with  equal 
probability  he  was  what  would  now  be  called  a  'psychical 
subject,'  and  as  such  liable  to  trances — and  perhaps  a 
clairvoyant."  Such  are  the  ridiculous  things  invented  by 
men,  who  claim  scholarship,  and  whose  aim  is  to  deny  the 
supernatural  origin  of  the  words  and  the  visions  of  the 
prophets  of  God. 


8  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  fact  is  that  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  were  called  by- 
Jehovah  to  specific  ministries.  In  their  character  and 
natural  temperament  they  differed  greatly.  Jeremiah 
assuming,  as  a  very  young  man,  his  prophetic  office  during  the 
reign  of  Josiah,  was  called  to  deliver  the  messages  of  the 
awful  judgments  which  were  to  come  upon  Jerusalem  and  he 
had  to  witness  these  in  their  execution.  He  was  an  extremely 
kind,  gentle  and  tender-hearted  man.  Jeremiah  is  the 
prophet  of  a  dying  nation;  the  agony  of  Judah's  prolonged 
death  struggle  is  reproduced  with  ten-fold  intensity  in  the 
inward  conflict  which  rends  the  heart  of  the  prophet.  Eze- 
kiel was  of  a  different  temperament.  The  deep  soul  exercise 
we  find  so  often  in  Jeremiah,  his  tender,  loving  sympathies 
are  almost  entirely  absent  in  Ezekiel.  He  lacked  the 
emotional  character  of  Jeremiah.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
energy  and  vigor;  he  was  stern  and  had  a  deep  sense  of  his 
human  responsibility.  Both  prophets  uncover  the  corrupt 
conditions  of  Judah  and  condemn  them.  The  condem- 
nations in  Ezekiel  are  far  more  severe  than  those  of  Jeremiah. 
The  style  of  Ezekiel  is  also  different  from  that  employed  by 
his  contemporary. 

"The  whole  of  his  writings  show  how  admirably  he  was 
fitted,  as  well  by  natural  disposition  as  by  spiritual  endow- 
ment, to  oppose  the  'rebellious  house,'  the  'people  of  stub- 
born front  and  hard  heart,'  to  whom  he  was  sent.  The 
figurative  representations  which  abound  throughout  his 
writings,  whether  drawn  out  into  lengthened  allegory,  or 
expressing  matters  of  fact  by  means  of  symbols,  or  clothing 
truths  in  the  garb  of  enigma,  all  testify  by  their  definiteness 
the  vigor  of  his  conceptions.  Things  seen  in  vision  are 
described  with  all  the  minuteness  of  detail  and  sharpness 
of  outline  which  belong  to  real  existence.  But  this  char- 
acteristic is  shown  most  remarkably  in  the  entire  subordina- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  9 

tion  of  his  whole  life  to  the  great  work  to  which  he  was 
called."* 

In  all  this  he  differs  from  Jeremiah;  and  more  so  in  the 
greater  and  more  complete  visions  concerning  the  future. 

There  is  an  evident  connection  between  the  communica- 
tion which  Jeremiah  sent  from  Jerusalem  unto  the  captives 
in  Babylon  and  the  beginning  of  Ezekiel's  ministry.  The 
letter  of  Jeremiah  is  found  in  chapter  xxix  of  the  Book  of 
Jeremiah.  It  is  an  interesting  document.  It  seems  to  have 
been  occasioned  by  a  number  of  false  prophets  who  had 
appeared  among  the  captives,  and  who  encouraged  the 
rebellious  and  disobedient  spirit  which  prevailed  among 
the  exiles.  They  prophesied  falsely,  led  the  people  away 
and  awakened  the  delusive  hope  of  an  early  return  from  the 
captivity.  While  Jeremiah  continued  to  minister  to  the 
feeble  few  and  the  poor,  who  were  left  behind,  Ezekiel  was 
engaged  among  the  captives  and  contended  against  these 
false  prophets  and  against  the  false  hopes  of  the  people  who 
gave  no  evidences  of  repentance.  Inasmuch  as  Jerusalem 
had  not  yet  been  completely  destroyed  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
the  captives,  who  had  listened  to  the  false  prophets,  expected 
a  speedy  return  to  their  own  land.  To  dispel  this  false  hope 
Jeremiah  had  sent  them  the  message,  "For  thus  saith  the 
Lord,  that  after  seventy  years  be  accomplished  at  Babylon 
I  will  visit  you,  and  perform  my  good  word  toward  you,  in 
causing  you  to  return  to  this  place"  (Jere.  xxix:10). 
Ezekiel  then  labored  also  to  dispel  this  false  hope  preached 
by  the  prophets,  whom  the  Lord  had  not  sent.  By  his 
stern  and  solemn  words,  by  divinely  commanded  actions 
and  symbols,  he  had  to  deliver  the  message  that  there  was 
no  hope  for  Jerusalem.  When  the  catastrophe  came  at  last 
his  ministry  changed.     He  comforts  the  disappointed  and 

*f.  W.  Gotch. 


10  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

heartbroken  people  and  delivers  his  great  restoration 
messages. 

This  great  prophet  had  to  do  certain  divinely  commanded 
things  in  the  presence  of  the  people  who  were  living  in 
deception  after  having  listened  to  the  false  prophets. 

In  chapter  iii:24-26  he  had  to  shut  himself  up,  bind  him- 
self and  then  he  was  made  dumb. 

Then  he  was  commanded  to  lie  upon  his  right  side  and 
upon  his  left  for  430  days  (chapter  iv:4-8). 

In  chapter  iv:9  he  had  to  eat  unclean  bread.  Then  he 
had  to  shave  his  head  and  beard  (chapter  v:l);  to  carry 
a  captive's  baggage  (chapter  xxii:3-7);  when  his  wife  died  he 
was  not  to  mourn  (chapter  xxiv:15-20);  and  again  he  lost 
his  speech  (chapter  xxiv:27).  The  key  to  all  this  is  found  in 
chapter  xxiv:24. 

The  visions  of  glory  Ezekiel  had  belong  to  some  of  the 
greatest  recorded  in  the  Word  of  God.  Much  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  book  reminds  of  the  last  book  of  the  Bible,  the 
Revelation.  We  mention  a  few  passages  to  be  compared: 
Ezekiel  i  with  Rev.  iv.  and  v.  Ezekiel  iii:3  with  Rev.  x:10. 
Ezekiel  viii:3  with  Rev.  xiii:14,  15.  Ezekiel  ix  with  Rev. 
vii.  Ezekiel  x  with  Rev.  viii:l-5.  The  critics  declare  upon 
this  striking  correspondency  that  "much  of  the  imagery  of 
Revelation  is  borrowed  from  Ezekiel." 


THE    ANALYSIS    OF    THE    BOOK. 

A  careful  reading  of  the  Book  of  Ezekiel  shows,  in  the 
first  place,  that  the  Prophet  received  messages  and  saw 
visions  before  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  after 
that  catastrophe  had  taken  place  in  fulfillment  of  his  inspired 
predictions  he  received  other  prophecies.  The  predictions 
preceding  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  are  the  predictions  of  the 
judgment  to  fall  upon  the  city  and  upon  Gentile  nations, 
the  enemies  of  Israel.  The  predictions  Ezekiel  received 
after  the  city  had  been  destroyed  are  the  predictions  of 
blessing  and  glory  for  Israel  and  Jerusalem  in  the  future. 
The  first  part  of  the  book  has  found  a  fulfillment  in  the 
destruction  of  the  city  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  second 
part  is  awaiting  its  fulfillment  at  the  close  of  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles,  when  Israel  will  be  regathered,  restored  and  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  returns  to  another  temple,  which  Ezekiel 
beheld  in  a  magnificent  vision.  All  will  be  accomplished 
when  the  Lord  returns  to  dwell  In  the  midst  of  His  people, 
so  that  the  name  of  the  city  will  be  "Jehovah-Shammah" 
— "the  Lord  Is  there"  (chapter  xlviii:35).  These  two  main 
divisions  are  clearly  marked  in  the  book  itself.  In  chapter 
xxxlil:21,  after  the  Prophet  had  received  a  renewed  call  as 
watchman.  We  read:  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  twelfth 
year  of  our  captivity,  In  the  tenth  month,  in  the  fifth  day 
of  the  month,  that  one  that  had  escaped  out  of  Jerusalem 
came  unto  me,  saying,  The  city  Is  smitten."  This  deter- 
mines the  two  parts. 

Part  I.    Predictions  before  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem. 

(Chapters  I-xxxil.) 

Part  II.    Predictions  after  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalenj, 

(Chapters  xxxlii-xlvlli). 


12  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

To  show  the  perfect  and  orderly  arrangement  of  the 
whole  Book  of  Ezekiel  we  shall  give  a  complete  analysis. 

Part  I.    Predictions  before  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
Chapters  i-xxxii. 

Seetion  A.     Judgment  Predictions   concerning   Jerusalem.  Chapters 

i-xxiv. 

1.  The  Vision  of  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  Call  of  the 
Prophet  (i-iii:14). 

2.  The  Judgment  announced.  Four  signs  and  their  mean- 
ing. The  two  messages.  ("  The  Word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
Wif,"  chapters  vi  and  vii;  chapters  iii:l5-vii:27). 

3.  Visions  in  relation  to  Jerusalem  {chapters  viii-xi). 

a.  The  vision  of  abomination  in  the  Temple.      Chapter  viii. 

b.  The  vision  of  the  man  clothed  in  linen  with  the  inkhorn.  Chap- 
ter ii. 

c.  Tlie  vision  of  the  coals  of  fire.     Chapter  x. 

d.  The  vision  concerning  the  leaders.  The  Glory  departs.  Chap- 
ter xi. 

4.  Signs,  Messages  arid  Parables  {chapters  xii-xix). 

a.  Signs  given  through  the  Prophet.     Chapter  xii:l-20. 

b.  The  Message  concerning  a  speedy  judgment.     Chapter  xii:21-28. 

c.  The  Message  against  false  prophets  and  prophetesses.  Chapter 
ziii. 

d.  The  Message  against  the  idolatrous  elders.     Chapter  xiv. 

e.  The  Parable  of  the  Vine  given  to  the  fire.     Chapter  xv. 

f.  The  Parable  of  abandoned  child  and  Jerusalem's  harlotry. 
Chapter  xvi. 

g.  The  Parable  and  Riddle  of  the  two  eagles  and  the  vine.  Chapter 
xvii. 

h.  The  Message  concerning  the  righteous  judgments  of  God.  Chap- 
ter xviii. 

i.  The  Lamentations  for  the  Princes  of  Israel.     Chapter  xix. 

5.  Further  and  Final  Predictions  concerning  the  Judgment 
of  Jerusalem  {chapter  xx-xxiv). 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  13 

a.  Jehovah  rehearses  His  mercies  bestowed  upon  Israel.     Chapter  xx. 

b.  The  impending  Judgment  announced.     Chapter  xxi. 

c.  Jerusalem's  sins  and  whoredoms.     Chapter  xxii— xxiii. 

d.  The  Parable  of  the  boiling  pot.     The  last  word.     Chapter  xxiv. 

Section  B.     Predictions  of  Judgments  against  the  Nations.     Chapters 

xxv-xxxii, 

1.  Against    Ammon,    Moab,    Edom    and   the    Philistines 
{chapter  xxv). 

2.  Against   Tyrus  and  Zidon  (chapters  xxvi-xxviii) . 

3.  Against  Egypt  {chapters  xxix-xxxii). 

Part  II.    Predictions  after  the  Destruction  of  Jerusalem, 
Chapters  xxxiii-xlviii. 
Section  A.  The  Watchman  and  the  Shepherds.   Chapters  xxxiii-xxxiv. 

1.  The  renewed  call  of  Ezekiel  as    Watchman     {chapter 
xxxiii'.\-20) . 

2.  ExekieVs  mouth  opened  after  Jerusalem's    fall  {chap- 
ter xxxiii  :2 1-33) . 

3.  Message  against  the  Shepherds  of  Israel  {chapter  xxxiv: 
1-19). 

4.  The  true  Shepherd  and  Restoration   promised    {chapter 
xxxiv:20-26) . 

Section  B.     Judgment  announced  against  Mount  Seir  and  Israel's 
final  Restoration  promised.  Chapters  xxxv-xxxvi. 

1.  The  Message  against  Seir  and  Idumea  {chapter   xxxv). 

2.  The  Message  of  Comfort  for  Israel  {chapter  xxxvi). 

Section  C.     The  Future  Blessings  of  Israel.     The  Nation  regathered. 

Their  enemies  overthrown.    The  Millennial  Temple. 

Chapters  xxxvii-xlviii, 

1.      The  Vision  of  the  Dry  Bones.     Judah  4ind  Israel  re- 
united (chapter  xxxvii). 


14 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 


2.  The  last  enemies  Gog  and  Magog  ayid  their  destruction 
{chapters  xxxviii-xxxix) . 

3.  The    Millennial    Temple    and    its    Worship     {chapter 
xl-xlvii  :12). 

4.  The  Division  of  the  Land  {chapter  xlvii:l3-xlviii). 

To  this  Analysis  of  the  entire  Book  of  Ezekiel  we  add  a 
brief  table,  giving  the  different  dates  mentioned  in  the  Book. 


Year  of 

the  Captivity 

Month 

Day 

of  Jehoialcin 

Chapter 

4 

5 

5 

Chapt.  i-vii 

6 

5 

6 

"         viii-xix 

5 

10 

7 

"        xx-xxiii 

10 

10 

9 

"         xxiv-xxv 

10 

12 

10 

"        xxix-xxx 

11 

1 

11 

"        xxvi-xxviii 

1 

7 

11 

"            XXX 

3 

1 

11 

"         xxxi 

10 

5 

12 

"         xxxiii 

12 

1 

12 

"         xxxii:l-16 

12 

15 

12 

"         xxxii:  17-32 

1 

10 

25 

"         xl-xlviii 

1 

1 

27 

"         xxlx:17-21 

I.    PREDICTIONS    BEFORE  THE   FALL    OF 
JERUSALEM 

Chapter  I — ^xxxii. 

THE    VISION    OF    THE    GLORY  OF  JEHOVAH  AND 

THE  CALL  OF  THE  PROPHET. 

Chapter  I — iii:14. 

I.    The  Introduction. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  in  the  thirtieth  year,  in  the  fourth  month, 
in  the  fifth  of  the  month,  as  I  was  among  the  captives  by  the  river 
Chebar,  the  heavens  were  opened,  and  I  saw  visions  of  God. 
In  the  fifth  of  the  month,  which  was  the  fifth  year  of  king  Jehoi- 
achin's  captivity,  The  word  of  the  Lord  came  expressly  unto 
Ezekiel  the  priest,  the  son  of  Buzi,  in  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans 
by  the  river  Chebar;   and  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  there  upon  him. 

The  book  of  Ezekiel  starts  with  the  description  of  a  great 
vision,  which  the  prophet  had  among  the  captives  of  the 
river  Chebar.  The  first  word  "now,"  which  really  means 
"and,"  connects  the  book  with  Jeremiah,  as  Joshua  is 
connected  in  the  same  way  with  Deuteronomy.  The  two 
statements  "I  was"  and  "I  saw"  in  the  first  verse  make  it 
clear  that  Ezekiel  is  the  author  of  this  book.  The  third 
verse  has  been  marked  by  the  critics  as  an  addition  by  some 
person,  who  edited  the  book  later.  There  is  no  evidence 
for  that.  In  describing  his  own  person  and  descent,  he  no 
longer  uses  the  personal  pronoun.  When  he  describes  the 
vision  itself,  giving  his  experience,  he  resumes  the  "I" — 
"I  looked."  The  "thirtieth  year"  has  often  been  taken  as 
the  age  of  Ezekiel  and  upon  this  a  parallel  has  been  drawn 
between  Ezekiel  and  our  Lord.  As  Ezekiel  was  thirty 
years  old  and  saw  heaven  open  at  the  banks  of  a  river,  so, 
it  is  taught,  the  Lord  Jesus  was  thirty  years  of  age,  when  He 


16  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

saw  heaven  open  at  His  baptism  in  Jordan  (Matt.  iii:16; 
Luke  iii:21).  There  is  nothing  in  the  text  to  warrant  this 
application.  The  thirtieth  year  must  be  reckoned  according 
to  the  Babylonian  era,  beginning  with  Nabopolassar,  father 
of  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  became  King  of  Babylon  625  B.  C. 
This  was  the  date  when  Hilkiah  found  the  book  of  the 
law  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  King  Josiah.  This  was  the 
thirtieth  year  before  the  fifth  year  of  the  captivity. 

Four  things  are  mentioned  by  Ezekiel  in  the  introduction 
of  his  book.  1.  The  Heavens  were  opened.  2.  He  saw 
visions  of  God.  3.  The  Word  of  the  Lord  came  upon  him. 
4.  The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him.  The  opened 
heavens  are  not  mentioned  elsewhere  in  the  Old  Testament. 
Ezekiel,  the  priest,  is  the  only  prophet  of  whom  it  is  said  that 
he  saw  the  heavens  opened.  Four  times  this  phrase  is  found 
in  the  New  Testament.  In  Matthew  iii:16  heaven  was 
opened  at  the  Baptism  of  our  Lord.  In  John  i:51  the  Lord 
speaks  of  the  heavens  opened  and  the  manifestation  of 
angels,  which  is  still  future  and  refers  to  His  Coming  in 
power  and  glory.  In  Revelations  iv:l  a  door  was  opened 
in  heaven  and  John  heard  the  words  "Come  up  hither"; 
it  is  symbolical  of  the  time,  when  the  true  church  is  taken 
into  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The  last  time  opened  heavens 
are  mentioned  is  in  Revelations  xixrll.  It  will  be  when  our 
Lord  comes  as  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 

The  opened  heavens  brought  for  Ezekiel  visions  of  God 
and  the  Word  of  the  Jehovah.  Not  visions  of  Jehovah  and 
the  Word  of  God.  He  saw  the  visions  of  God  in  His  govern- 
mental dealings  with  Israel,  but  the  commission  to  him  is 
the  commission  of  Jehovah,  the  name  which  denotes  the 
closer  covenant  relationship  with  His  people.  The  vision 
of  opened  heavens  in  the  New  Tesrament  sense  was  not 
given  to  Ezekiel.  New  Testament  believers  behold  heaven 
opened  and  have  a  vision.     In  the  language  of  the  Scrip- 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  17 

tures,  "We  see  Jesus,  who  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,  for  the  suffering  of  death,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor,  that  He  by  the  grace  of  God  should  taste  death  of 
every  man"  (Heb.  ii:9).  Our  vision  in  the  opened  heavens 
is  the  glorified  Son  of  Man,  in  whom  we  are  saved  and  seated 
in  the  Heavenlies,  in  Whom  we  are  accepted  and  Whose 
glory  we  shall  share.  And  when  the  Word  of  Jehovah  came 
to  him,  calling  the  priest  to  the  prophetic  office,  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  came  also  upon  him.  Opened  heavens,  visions,  \ 
direct  call  and  enablement  by  the  power  of  God.  Such  is  / 
still  the  order  for  God's  servants.  And  after  the  great 
vision  is  passed,  the  seer  is  upon  his  face  (verse  28).  Then 
Jehovah  lifts  him  up  and  the  Spirit  entered  into  him"(ii:2). 
The  phrase  "the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  him"  or^, 
"came  upon  me"  is  found  exactly  seven  times  in  the  Book 
of  Ezekiel  i:3;  iii:14  and  22;  viii:l;  xxxiii:22;  xxxvii:!  and 
xl:L 

II.    The  Vision  of  Glory. 

And  I  looked,  and,  behold,  a  whirlwind  came  out  of  the  north, 
a  great  cloud,  and  a  fire  infolding  itself,  and  a  brightness  was  about 
it,  and  out  of  the  midst  thereof  as  the  look  of  glowing  brass  out 
of  the  midst  of  the  fire.  Also  out  of  the  midst  thereof  came  the 
likeness  of  four  living  creatures.  And  this  was  their  appearance; 
they  had  the  likeness  of  a  man.  And  every  one  had  four  faces,  and 
every  one  had  four  wings.  And  their  feet  were  straight  feet; 
and  the  sole  of  their  feet  was  like  the  sole  of  a  calf's  foot:  and  they 
sparkled  like  the  colour  of  burnished  brass.  And  they  had  the  hands 
of  a  man  under  their  wings  on  their  four  sides;  and  they  four  had 
their  faces  and  their  wings.  Their  wings  were  joined  one  to 
another;  they  turned  not  when  they  went;  they  went  every  one 
straight  forward.  As  for  the  likeness  of  their  faces,  they  four  had 
the  face  of  a  man,  and  the  face  of  a  lion,  on  the  right  side;  and 
they  four  had  the  face  of  an  ox  on  the  left  side;  they  four  also  had 
the  face  of  an  eagle.  And  their  faces  and  their  wings  were  parted 
above;  two  wings  of  every  one  were  joined  one  to  another,  and  two 
covered  their  bodies.     And  they  went  every  one  straight  forward: 


18  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

whither  the  spirit  was  to  go,  the}'  went;  they  turned  not  when  they 
went.     As  for  the  likeness  of  the  living  creatures,  their  appearance 
was  like  burning  coals  of  fire,  like  the  appearance  of  torches:    it 
went  up  and  down  among  the  living  creatures;    and  the  fire  was 
bright,  and  out  of  the  fire  went  forth  liglitning.     And  the  living 
creatures  ran  and  returned  as  the  appearance  of  a  flash  of  lightning. 
And  I  looked  at  the  living  creatures,  behold  one  wheel  upon  the 
earth  by  the  living  creatures,  toward  their  four  faces.     The  appear- 
ance of  the  wheels  and  their  work  was  like  unto  the  colour  of  a 
chrysolite:    and  they  four  had  one  likeness:    and  their  appearance 
and  their  work  vras  as  it  were  a  wheel  in  the  middle  of  a  wheel. 
When  they  went,  they  went  upon  their  four  sides:    they  turned 
not   when    they    went.     As    for   their   rims,    they    were   high    and 
dreadful;    and  their  rims  were  full  of  eyes  round  about  them  four. 
And  when  the  living  creatures  went,  the  wheels  went  beside  them: 
and  when  the  living  creatures  were  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  the 
wheels  were  lifted  up.     Whithersoever  the  spirit  was  to  go,  they 
went,  thither  would  their  spirit  to  go;    and  the  wheels  were  lifted 
up  over  against  them:  for  the  spirit  of  the  living  creature  was  In  the 
wheels.     When  those  went,  these  went;    and  when  those  stood, 
these  stood;    and  when  those  were  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  the 
wheels  were  lifted  up  over  against  them:   for  the  spirit  of  the  living 
creature  was  in   the  wheels.     And  there  was  the  likeness  of  an 
expanse  upon  the  heads  of  the  living  creature  as  the  colour  of  the 
terrible    crystal,    stretched    forth    over   their   heads    above.     And 
under  the  expanse  their  wings  straight,  the  one  toward  the  other: 
every  one  had  two,  which  covered  on  this  side,   and  every  one 
had  two,  which  covered  on  that  side  their  bodies.     And  when  they 
went,  I  heard  the  noise  of  their  wings,  like  the  noise  of  great  waters, 
as  the  voice  of  the  Almighty,  a  tumultous  voice,  as  the  noise  of  an 
host:   when  they  stood,  they  let  down  their  wings.     And  there  was 
a  voice  from  the  firmament  that  was  over  their  heads,  when  they 
stood,  they  let  down  their  wings. 

And  above  the  expanse  that  was  over  their  heads  was  the  like- 
ness of  a  throne,  as  the  appearance  of  a  sapphire  stone:  and  upon 
the  likeness  of  the  throne  was  the  likeness  as  the  appearance  of  a 
man  above  upon  It.  And  I  saw  as  the  look  of  glowing  brass,  as  the 
appearance  of  fire  round  about  within  it,  from  the  appearance 
of  his  loins  even  upward,  and.  from  the  appearance  of  his  loins 
even  downward,  I  saw  as  it  were  the  appearance  of  fire,  and  it  had 
brightness  round  about.       As  the  appearance  of  the  bow  that  is 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  19 

in  the  cloud  in  the  day  of  rain,  so  was  the  appearance  of  the 
brightness  round  about.  This  was  the  appearance  of  the  like- 
ness of  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  And  when  I  saw  it,  I  fell  upon  my 
face,  and  I  heard  a  voice  of  one  that  spake. 

Ezekiel  describes  the  vision  of  God  which  he  saw.  It  is 
one  of  the  greatest  visions  of  the  Bible.  To  explain  all  in  this 
vision  is  beyond  any  expositor.  Much  has  been  written  on 
it  which  is  extremely  fanciful  and  ridiculous.  The  vision  is 
mentioned  repeatedly  in  the  book.  In  the  tenth  chapter  we 
meet  it  again.  In  chapter  xi:22-23  the  prophet  beholds  the 
cherubim  and  the  wheels  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  God 
above  them.  The  glory  of  Jehovah  is  seen  departing  from 
Jerusalem  by  way  of  the  mountain  which  is  on  the  east  side 
of  the  city  (the  Mount  of  Olives).  The  last  time  this 
great  vision  is  mentioned  is  in  chapter  xliii.  "And  behold, 
the  Glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  came  from  the  way  of  the  East; 
and  His  voice  was  like  the  voice  of  many  waters;  and  the 
earth  was  lit  up  with  His  glory.  And  the  appearance  of 
the  vision  that  I  saw  was  according  to  the  vision  that  I 
had  seen  when  I  came  to  destroy  the  city;  and  the  visions 
were  like  the  vision  that  I  saw  by  the  river  Chebar,  and 
I  fell  upon  my  face"  (verses  2-4).  We  learn  therefore  that 
the  vision  Ezekiel  had  was  the  vision  of  the  glory  of  Jehovah. 
This  much  is  clear.  The  first  chapter  confirms  this,  for  at  the 
end  of  the  vision  the  statement  is  made:  "This  was  the 
appearance  of  the  likeness  of  the  glory  of  Jehovah"  (i:28). 
That  it  meant  judgment  upon  the  unfaithful  city  is  learned 
from  the  tenth  chapter,  where  one  is  commanded  to  take  coals 
of  fire  from  between  the  cherubim  and  to  scatter  them  over 
the  city  (compare  this  with  Rev.  viii:5).  Then  the  Glory  of 
Jehovah,  Ezekiel  had  seen,  departed  from  the  city.  It  left 
Jerusalem  and  the  land  by  the  East  (chapter  xi:22-23'). 
Ultimately  that  glory  will  return  and  cover  the  land  once 
more  (chapter  xliii  :2-4). 


20  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  vision  was  seen  coming  from  the  North.  This  is 
generally  applied  to  mean  the  threatened  judgment  against 
Judea  from  Babylon.  A  storm  cloud  of  divine  indig- 
nation was  about  to  burst  on  Judea  out  of  the  North,  that  is, 
from  Babylon.  However,  another  meaning  is  more  than 
likely,  inasmuch  as  Babylon  was  not  directly  north  of 
Jerusalem.  In  Psalm  lxxv:6  we  read:  "For  promotion 
cometh  neither  from  the  East,  nor  from  the  West,  nor  from 
the  South."  It  is  from  the  North,  that  is  from  above, 
that  promotion,  or  help  comes.  In  Isaiah  xiv:13  the  North 
is  also  given  as  the  place  of  the  throne  of  God.  From  out 
of  the  opened  heavens  from  above,  this  great  vision  was 
sweeping  before  the  eyes  of  the  priest-prophet.  The  whirl- 
wind, the  cloud  and  the  fire  Ezekiel  beholds  first  of  all  are 
symbols  of  the  divine  glory  and  often  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  His  manifestation.  The  Lord  repeatedly 
appeared  in  a  cloud.  He  led  His  people  by  a  pillar  of  cloud 
and  of  fire.  Sinai  was  enveloped  in  a  thick  cloud  and 
Jehovah  descended  upon  it  in  fire.  David  in  describing  a 
theophany  mentions  the  wind,  clouds  and  fire  (Ps.  xviii:8-13). 
Read  also  Habakkuk's  great  vision  (Hab.  iii).  The  whirl- 
wind symbolizes  Jehovah's  indignation.  Jeremiah  had 
announced  the  coming  judgment  under  the  figure  of  the 
wind  (Jere.  iv:12-13).  All  Ezekiel  saw  as  he  looked  up 
indicated  the  presence  of  the  God  of  Israel  and  His  glory, 
ready  to  deal  in  judgment  with  His  unfaithful  people. 

Then  the  vision  unfolds  itself.  First  the  living  creatures 
are  seen.  The  tenth  chapter  calls  them  by  the  name  of 
cherubim.  They  are  the  same  beings  as  described  in  Revela- 
tion iv:6-9.  The  cherubim  are  not  symbolical  figures  but 
real  beings,  for  they  are  called  "living  creatures."  They  are 
not  angels  but  belong  to  another  class.  Four  cherubim 
Ezekiel  beheld  with  faces  of  the  lion,  the  ox,  the  eagle  and 
the  face  of  man.     Their  position  is  beneath  the  Throne. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  21 

But  while  they  had   these  four  faces   (representing  God's 
creation)  they  had  the  likeness  of  a  man. 

The  likeness  of  a  man  as  mentioned  in  Ezekiel's  vision 
is  significant.  First,  the  cherubim  had  "the  likeness  of  a 
man"  (verse  5).  Then  the  hands  of  a  man  were  seen  under 
their  wings  (verse  8).  When  Ezekiel  beheld  the  throne 
itself,  the  throne  of  God,  he  saw  upon  the  throne  "the 
likeness  as  the  appearance  of  a  man."  And  this  man 
upon  the  throne  was  enshrouded  in  glory,  with  the  rainbov/ 
about  him.  "And  I  saw  as  the  color  of  amber,  as  the  appear- 
ance of  fire  round  about  within  it,  from  the  appearance  of 
his  loins  even  upward,  and  from  the  appearance  of  his  loins 
even  downward,  I  saw  as  it  were  the  appearance  of  fire,  and 
it  had  brightness  round  about.  As  the  appearance  of  the 
bow  that  is  in  the  cloud  in  the  day  of  rain,  so  was  the  appear- 
ance of  the  brightness  round  about"  (verse  27-28).  That 
all  this  anticipates  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  His  exaltation 
upon  the  throne,  government  and  judgment  being  given 
into  His  hands,  who  is  the  glorified  Man,  cannot  be  ques- 
tioned. The  application  of  the  faces  of  the  cherubim  to  • 
the  fourfold  character  of  our  Lord  as  King,  Servant,  Man  and 
Son  of  God  is  well  known.  However,  judgment  in  the 
government  of  God  is  in  Ezekiel's  vision  the  leading  reason 
of  the  prominence  of  these  celestial  beings.  They  occupy 
the  same  position  in  the  last  book  of  the  Bible,  the  book  of 
Revelation.  When  the  Lamb  opens  the  first  four  seals, 
one  of  the  cherubim  speaks.  These  seals  are  judgments. 
In  Rev.  XV :7  one  of  these  living  creatures  hands  to  the 
seven  judgment  angels  the  seven  vials  in  which  the  wrath 
of  God  is  completed.  "And  one  of  the  four  living  creatures 
gave  unto  the  seven  angels  seven  golden  vials  full  of  the 
wrath  of  God,  who  liveth  forever  and  ever."  In  this  solemn 
capacity  they  appear  in  Ezekiel's  vision  as  the  attendants 
of  Jehovah's  chariot  and  Jehovah's  throne,  which  Ezekiel 


22  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

beholds  above  the  expanse  above  their  heads.  All  indi- 
cates that  this  is  the  right  interpretation.  For  instance, 
verse  13.  There  we  read  of  coals  of  fire,  as  they  appeared; 
lamps,  or  as  it  ought  to  be  rendered,  flaming  torches,  and  out 
of  the  bright  lire  came  forth  lightning.  These  are  all 
symbols  of  judgment.  "And  the  living  creatures  ran  and 
returned  as  the  appearance  of  a  flash  of  lightning"  (verse  14). 
It  denotes  the  swiftness  of  the  threatened  judgment. 

And  then  the  wheels  and  their  work,  the  wheels  in  which 
there  was  the  spirit  of  these  beings,  their  rims  (not  rings) 
full  of  eyes,  the  orderly  movements  of  these  wheels  under 
the  direction  of  the  spirit,  is  seen  in  this  vision.  Much  has 
been  made  of  this.  The  most  ridiculous  interpretation 
was  made  several  years  ago  when  some  teacher  declared 
that  Ezekiel  had  the  vision  of  an — airship!  The  wheels 
are  the  wheels  of  the  chariot  upon  which  rests  the  throne 
of  God.  They  are  representing  the  purposes  of  God  in  His 
inerrant  governmental  dealings  with  the  earth.  God 
controls  it  all  and  His  Spirit  directs  every  movement. 

"Intelligence,  strength,  stability,  and  swiftness  in  judg- 
ment, and,  withal,  the  movement  of  the  whole  course  of 
earthly  events,  depended  on  the  throne.  This  living  energy 
animated  the  whole.  The  cherubic  supporters  of  the 
throne,  full  of  eyes  themselves,  moved  by  it;  the  wheels 
of  God's  government  moved  by  the  same  spirit,  and  went 
straight  forward.  All  was  subservient  to  the  will  and 
purpose  of  Him  who  sat  on  the  throne  judging  right.  Maj- 
esty, government  and  providence  united  to  form  the  throne 
of  His  glory.  But  all  the  instruments  of  His  glory  were 
below  the  firmament;  He  whom  they  glorified  was  above.*" 

That  "the  bow  that  is  in  the  cloud  in  the  day  of  rain"  is 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  Throne  itself  and  men- 

*Synopsis  J.  N.  D. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  23 

tioned  last  in  the  vision  has  a  blessed  meaning.  It  reminds  ? 
us  of  Genesis  ix:13-16.  "I  do  set  My  bow  in  the  cloud 
and  it  shall  be  for  a  token  of  my  covenant  between  Mc  and 
the  earth.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  when  I  bring  a  cloud 
over  the  earth  that  the  bow  shall  be  seen  in  the  cloud.  .  .  . 
And  the  bow  shall  be  in  the  cloud;  and  I  will  look  upon  it, 
that  I  may  remember  the  everlasting  covenant  between 
God  and  every  living  creature  of  all  flesh  that  is  upon  the 
earth."  The  judgment  by  water  was  past,  and  upon 
the  dark  storm-cloud,  which  had  retreated,  the  beautiful 
bow,  the  sign  of  God's  mercy,  appeared.  God  always 
remembers  mercy  in  His  wrath.  Israel's  hour  of  judgment 
had  come,  but  the  bow  about  the  throne  promised  mercy 
to  His  people  according  to  "His  everlasting  covenant." 
Judgment-vision  and  predictions  of  judgment  stand  first 
in  Ezekiel's  prophecy;  mercy,  restoration  and  glory  arc 
revealed  after  the  storm-cloud  has  passed.  Thus  Ezekiel 
beheld  the  Glory  of  Jehovah  as  He  himself  was  commissioned 
by  the  Word  of  Jehovah  to  make  it  known  to  the  people. 

I  Chapter  ii-iii:14. 

I.     Ezekiel's  Commission. 

And  he  said  unto  mc,  Son  of  man,  stand  upon  thy  feet,  and  I 
will  speak  unto  thee.  And  the  Spirit  entered  into  me  when  he 
spake  unto  me,  and  set  me  upon  my  feet,  that  I  heard  him  that 
spake  unto  me.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  I  send  thee  to 
the  children  of  Israel,  to  rebellious  nations  which  have  rebelled 
against  me:  they  and  their  fathers  have  transgressed  against  me, 
unto  tnis  very  day.  For  they  are  impudent  and  hard  hearted. 
I  do  send  thee  unto  them;  and  thou  shalt  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith 
The  Lord  Jehovah.  And  they,  whether  they  will  hear,  or  whether 
they  will  forbear  (for  they  are  a  rebellious  house),  yet  shall  know 
that  there  hath  been  a  prophet  among  them. 

And  thou,  son  of  man,  be  not  afraid  of  them,  neither  be  afriia 
of  their  words,  though  briers  and  thorns  be  with  thee,  and  thou 
dost  dwell  among  scorpions:    be  not  afraid  of  their  words,  mor 


24  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

be  dismayed  at  their  looks,  though  they  be  a  rebellious  house. 
And  thou  shalt  speak  my  words  unto  them,  whether  they  will  hear 
or  whether  they  will  forbear:  for  they  are  most  rebellious.  But 
thou,  son  of  man,  near  what  I  say  unto  thee;  Be  not  thou  rebellious 
like  that  rebellious  house:  open  thy  mouth,  and  eat  that  I  give  thee 
(chapter  ii:I-8). 

The  great  vision  left  Ezekiel  prostrate  upon  his  face. 
He  was  affected  by  it  in  the  same  way  as  Daniel  and  others 
were.  Then  the  voice  spoke.  It  was  not  one  of  the  Cheru- 
bim whose  voice  the  Prophet  heard.  The  Cherubim  speak 
in  the  book  of  Revelation;  in  Ezekiel  they  are  silent.  It  was 
Jehovah  Himself,  who  in  the  vision  appeared  in  the  likeness 
of  a  man,  and  addressed  Ezekiel.  Jehovah  addressed  him 
as  "Son  of  Man."  This  title  is  found  exactly  one  hundred 
times  in  the  book.  Only  Daniel,  besides  Ezekiel,  is  called 
by  that  name  in  the  Old  Testament  (Dan.  viii:17).  Our 
Lord  called  Himself  by  that  title.  Eighty-six  times  we  find 
Him  using  this  title  of  Himself,  as  the  rejected  One.  In 
Suffering,  in  Exaltation,  in  Glory  and  in  His  Second  Coming 
He  is  the  the  Son  of  Man.  Ezekiel  passed  through  much 
suffering.  As  we  shall  find  in  our  exposition  he  had  to  bear 
in  his  person  symbolically  what  was  to  come  upon  the  nation. 
Suffering  and  shame  was  connected  with  it  which  he  endured 
and  despised.  He  must  have,  therefore,  been  called  by  the 
title  "Son  of  Man,"  because  he  is  a  type  of  the  rejected 
Messiah,  who  took  Israel's  sin  and  shame  upon  Himself. 

The  voice  commanded  that  the  Prophet  was  to  stand  upon 
his  feet,  and  He,  who  spoke  the  word  supplied  the  power  to 
do  it.  "And  the  Spirit  entered  into  me  when  He  spoke 
unto  me."  Thus  the  Spirit  and  the  Word  are  intimately 
connected.  After  the  Spirit  had  entered  into  him  the 
Prophet  distinguished  the  words  which  Jehovah  spoke, 
"and  I  heard  Him  that  spake  unto  me."  Hearing  and 
knowing  the  Word  is  made  possible  by  the  Spirit. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  25 

Then   Ezeklel   received    his    commission.     A   comparison 
with  Isaiah's  and  Jeremiah's  commission  shows'^them  to  be 
like  Ezekiel's.     Isaiah  had  a  great  vision.     He  too  saw  the 
Lord  of  Glory  and  the  Seraphim,  which  differ  from  the  Cher- 
ubim, crying  their  three-fold  "Holy."       Then   follows  the 
effect  upon  him,  and  the  commission.     "And  He  said,  Go, 
and  tell  this  people,  Hear  ye  indeed,  but  understand  not; 
and  see  ye  indeed  and  perceive  not.     Make  the  heart  of  this 
people  fat,  and  make  their  ears  heavy,  and  shut  their  eyes; 
lest  they  see  with  their  eyes,   and  understand  with  their 
heart,  and  be  converted  and  healed"  (Isaiah  vi:l-ll).     He 
was   chosen   to  pronounce  hardening  judgments   upon  the 
nation.     Jeremiah  had  no  vision  at  all;  but  he  also  was  chosen 
to  declare  unto  God's  people  their  wicked  ways   and  the 
impending  judgments  (Jeremiah  i).     And  so  Ezekiel.     He  is 
sent  by  Jehovah  to  the  children  Israel,  to  a  rebellious  nation. 
The  word  used  here  in  Hebrew  for  nation  is  the  same,  which 
has  been  translated  "heathen."     It  is  "gojim";  indicating 
that  the  children  of  Israel  had  sunken  as  low  as  the  heathen, 
'^who   surrounded   them.     It   is    noteworthy   that   the   word 
"rebellious"  and  "rebelled"  is  found  seven  times.     This  had 
become  the  leading  characteristic   of  the  favored   people. 
They  had  turned  away  from  Jehovah  and  His  Word,  and  now 
the  time  had  come  when,  ripe  for  judgment,  God  was  to 
deal  with  them.     May  we  think  here  of  that  solemn  warning 
given  to  Christendom  in  Romans  xi:21 :     "For  if  God  spared 
not  the  natural  branches,  take  heed  lest  He  also  spare  not 
thee."     God  dealt  with  Israel  on  account  of  their  unbelief 
and  rebellious  spirit.     And  now  Gentile  Christians  are  plung- 
ing into  the  same  unbelief  and  apostasy;  nominal  Christen- 
dom is  rebellious.     A  greater  judgment  is  therefore  coming 
upon  Christendom  than  that  which  came  upon  the  rebellious 
people. 

To  this  impudent  and  hard-hearted  people  Ezekiel  was 


i6  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

sent.  The  very  first  thing  he  was  to  say  to  them  was  that 
great  statement  which  appears  hundreds  of  times  in  the  Old 
Testament  scriptures,  "Thus  saith  Jehovah  God."  The 
tender  is  Jehovah-God;  the  commission  and  the  message  are 
from  Him.  In  the  days  of  the  darkest  apostasy  with  judg- 
ment about  to  come,  the  Lord  told  the  prophet  to  face  these 
conditions  and  to  stand  in  the  midst  of  the  rebellious  nation 
with  a  positive  "Thus  saith  Jehovah  God."  He  was  His 
mouthpiece.  Such  positiveness  is  demanded  to-day.  Oh! 
for  men  who,  like  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel,  speak  to-day  the 
Word,  "Thus  saith  Jehovah  God." 

And  Jehovah  who  calls  and  sends  forth  His  servant  gives 
also  assurance  and  encouragement.  He  told  Ezekiel  not 
to  be  afraid  of  them  or  of  their  words.  Even  so  the  Lord 
had  encouraged  Jeremiah  (chapter  i:7-8).  Every  servant 
of  the  Lord  can  rest  in  this  assurance  that  if  he  is  faithful 
and  obedient  the  Lord  will  strengthen  and  keep  him.  "Speak 
my  words  unto  them;"  not  his  own  words,  but  Jehovah's 
words.  Thus  he  heard  the  same  command,  which  is  given 
to  the  Lord's  servants  in  the  days  when  sound  doctrine  is 
no  longer  endured:     "Preach  the  Word"  (2  Tim.  iv:l-3). 

II.  The  Roll  Eaten  and  the  Repeated  Commission. 

And  when  I  looked,  behold,  an  hand  was  put  forth  unto  me; 
and,  lo,  a  roll  of  a  book  was  therein;  And  he  spread  it  before  me; 
and  it  was  written  within  and  without:  and  there  was  written  there- 
in lamentations,  and  mourning,  and  woe. 

And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  eat  that  thou  findest;  eat 
this  roll,  and  go  speak  unto  the  house  of  Israel.  So  I  opened  my 
mouth,  and  he  caused  me  to  eat  that  roll.  And  he  said  unto  me, 
Son  of  man,  cause  thy  belly  to  eat,  and  fill  they  bowels  with  this 
roll  that  I  give  thee.  Then  did  I  eat  it;  and  it  was  in  my  mouth 
as  honey  for  sweetness. 

And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  go,  get  thee  unto  the  house  of 
Israel,  and  speak  witn  my  words  unto  them.  For  thou  art  not  sent 
to  a  people  of  a  strange  speech  and  of  an  hard  language,  but  to  the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  27 

house  of  Israel;  Not  to  any  people  of  a  strange  speech  and  of  an 
hard  language,  whose  words  thou  canst  not  understand.  Surely, 
had  I  sent  thee  to  them,  they  would  have  hearkened  unto  thee. 
But  the  house  of  Israel  will  not  hearken  unto  thee;  for  they  will 
not  hearken  unto  me:  for  all  the  house  of  Israel  are  impudent  and 
hardhearted.  Behold,  I  have  made  thy  face  strong  against  their 
faces,  and  they  forehead  strong  against  their  foreheads.  As  an 
adamant  harder  than  flint  have  I  made  thy  forehead:  fear  them 
not,  neither  be  dismayed  at  their  looks,  though  they  be  a  rebellious 
house.  Moreover  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  all  my  words  that 
I  shall  speak  unto  thee  receive  in  thine  heart,  and  hear  with  thine 
ears.  And  go,  get  thee  to  them  of  the  captivity,  unto  the  children 
of  thy  people,  and  speak  unto  them,  and  tell  them.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  whether  they  will  hear,  or  whether  they  will  forbear. 
Then  the  spirit  took  me  up  and  I  heard  behind  me  a  voice  of  a  great 
rushing,  saying.  Blessed  be  the  glory  of  the  Lord  from  his  place. 
I  heard  also  the  noise  of  the  wings  of  the  living  creatures  that 
touched  one  another,  and  the  noise  of  the  wheels  over  against  them, 
and  a  noise  of  a  great  rushing.  So  the  spirit  lifted  me  up,  and 
took  me  away,  and  I  went  in  bitterness,  in  the  heat  of  my  spirit; 
but  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  strong  upon  me  (chapter  ii:9; 
/     iii:14). 

He  is  commanded  to  open  his  mouth  and  to  eat,  after 
the  warning  not  to  be  rebellious.  He  then  received  a  scroll 
from  a  hand,  no  doubt,  the  hand  he  had  seen  in  the  vision. 
It  was  written  within  and  without  with  lamentations, 
mourning  and  awe.  He  was  commanded  to  eat  and  it  was 
like  honey  in  his  mouth.  We  are  reminded  at  once  of 
Zechariah's  flying  scroll  (Zech.  v:l-4);  of  the  scroll  written 
within  and  on  the  backside,  sealed  with  seven  seals,  which 
in  John's  vision  the  Lamb  of  God  received  to  open  the 
seals  (Rev.  v  and  vi);  and  of  the  little  book  (or  scroll)  which 
John  received  and  ate,  which  was  sweet  in  his  mouth  but 
bitter  in  his  belly  (Rev.  x:9-10).  These  scrolls  have  all  one 
meaning.  They  are  symbolical  of  the  Word  itself,  the 
message  of  judgment  and  tribulation  which  are  written 
therein.     All    is    symbolical    and    contains    many   spiritual 


28  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

and  helpful  lessons.  The  Word  must  be  received;  It  must 
be  eaten.  The  prophet  obeyed  and  ate.  It  was  self- 
surrender  and  therefore,  though  the  message  he  was  to  bear 
was  a  hard  message,  it  was  sweet  to  him.  Jeremiah  too 
speaks  of  a  similar  experience.  "When  Thy  words  were 
found,  I  did  eat  them;  and  Thy  Word  was  to  me  the  joy 
and  rejoicing  of  mine  heart"  (Jer.  xv:16).  No  servant  of 
God  can  speak  thus  unless  he  receives  the  Word,  feeds 
on  it  himself,  eats  what  the  Lord  has  given  and  finds  out  the 
sweetness  of  obedience  and  self-surrender.  The  Word  to 
be  spoken,  the  message  to  be  given,  must  come  from  Jehovah. 
"I  have  put  my  words  in  thy  mouth"  was  spoken  to  Jeremiah 
(chapter  i:9);  and  Ezekiel  makes  the  same  experience. 
And  our  Lord,  the  true  Son  of  Man,  said  that  His  meat  and 
drink  was  to  do  the  will  of  His  Father.  He  too  fed  on  His 
Word  and  was  obedient  to  it. 

In  Ezekiel's  experience  there  is  a  definition  of  divine  in- 
spiration. The  prophet  received,  accepted,  took  it  in  and 
then  gave  it  out.  "Son  of  Man,  go,  get  thee  unto  the  house 
of  Israel,  and  speak  with  my  words  unto  them.''''  This  is 
inspiration.  The  Messages  of  God  were  given  to  the 
prophets  in  the  words  of  God.  Such  is  the  definition  of 
inspiration  in  the  New  Testament.  "Which  things  also  we 
speak,"  saith  the  Apostle,  "not  in  the  words  which  man's 
wisdom  teacheth,  but  which  the  Holy  Spirit  teacheth" 
X-,  (1  Cor.  ii:13).  May  all  the  Lord's  people  receive  His  Word, 
eat  His  Word,  speak  forth  His  Word  and  find  that  it  is  indeed 
sweeter  than  honey  and  the  honeycomb. 

Jehovah  predicts  failure  for  the  message  and  the  mes- 
senger. The  house  of  Israel  will  not  hearken  unto  thee; 
for  they  will  not  hearken  unto  Me.  It  was  to  make  no  differ- 
ence with  the  prophet.  His  commission  was  to  speak 
Jehovah's  words,  whether  they  heard  or  not.  All  this  would 
be  branded  by  our  own  generation  as  extremely  "pessimistic." 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  29 

That  the  message  and  the  messenger  should  not  be  successful 
is  an  unpalatable  statement  to  well-meaning  and  enthusiastic 
Christians.  Yet  this  very  fact  is  predicted  for  the  last  days. 
"The  time  will  come  when  they  shall  not  endure  sound 
doctrine."  Then  the  prophet  was  taken  up  by  the  Spiriz. 
Behind  him  a  voice  was  heard,  "Blessed  be  the  Glory  of 
Jehovah  from  this  place." 

Cherubim  and  wheels  are  in  motion.  He  is  lifted  up  and 
Jehovah's  hand  was  strong  upon  him. 

JUDGMENT  ANNOUNCED.    FOUR  SIGNS  AND  TWO 
MESSAGES. 

Chapter  iii:15-vii:27. 

The  next  section  of  the  Book  of  Ezekiel  extends  from 
chapter  Iii:15  to  the  close  of  the  seventh  chapter.  Here  we 
fii^d  that  the  Lord  laid  upon  the  Prophet  the  great  respon- 
sibilities as  the  watchman  over  the  house  of  Israel  and  gave 
him  the  message.  Then  the  Prophet  had  to  enact  four 
signs.  The  signs  of  the  tile  upon  which  he  pictured  Jerusalem 
(iv:l-3);  the  sign  of  the  Prophet's  posture,  laying  390  days 
upon  his  left  side  and  forty  days  on  his  right  and  prophesying 
during  this  time  against  the  doomed  city  (verses  4-8); 
the  sign  of  the  food  he  was  to  eat,  and  its  preparation;  this 
covers  the  same  period  of  390  days  (verses  9-17);  the  last 
sign  was  that  of  shaving  the  hair  from  head  and  face,  and 
dividing  it  into  three  parts.  This  fourth  sign  (chapter  v) 
is  minutely  explained  and  symbolizes  like  the  other  signs 
the  judgments  against  Jerusalem.  Two  solemn  messages  of 
denunciations  close  this  section,  the  first  message  predicts 
the  sword  to  fall  upon  the  land  and  the  people  and  their 
subsequent  dispersion  (chapter  vi).  The  second  message 
predicts  the  end  which  was  to  come  upon  the  four  corners  of 
the  land.    The  great  desolation  is  described  in  a  marvellous 


30  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

way.  The  seventh  chapter,  which  contains  this  second  mes- 
sage is  one  of  the  sublimest  in  the  book.  Both  messages  end 
in  the  same  way:  "And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah." 

Chapter  iii:  15-27. 
I.    The  new  charge  and  Ezekiel's  new  experience. 

Then  I  came  to  them  of  the  captivity  at  Tel-abib,  that  dwelt 
by  the  river  of  Chebar,  and  I  sat  where  they  sat,  and  remained 
there  astonished  among  them  seven  days.  And  it  came  to  pass 
at  the  end  of  seven  days,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  mc, 
saying,  Son  of  man,  I  have  made  thee  a  v/atchman  unto  the  house 
of  Israel:  therefore  hear  the  word  at  my  mouth,  and  give  them 
warning  from  me.  When  I  say  unto  the  wicked,  Thou  shalt  surely 
die;  and  thou  givest  him  not  warning,  nor  speakest  to  warn  the 
wicked  from  his  wicked  way,  to  save  his  life;  the  same  wicked  man 
shall  die  in  his  iniquity;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  thine  hand. 
Yet  if  thou  warn  the  wicked,  and  he  turn  not  from  his  wickedness, 
nor  from  his  wicked  way,  he  shall  die  in  his  iniquity;  but  thou 
hast  delivered  thy  soul.  Again,  When  a  righteous  man  doth  turn 
from  his  righteousness,  and  commit  iniquity,  and  I  lay  a  stumbling- 
block  before  him,  he  shall  die:  because  thou  hast  not  given  him 
warning,  he  shall  die  in  his  sin,  and  his  righteousness  wr.ich  he  hath 
done  shall  not  be  remembered;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  thine 
hand.  Nevertheless  if  thou  warn  the  righteous  man,  that  the 
righteous  sin  not,  and  he  doth  not  sin,  he  shall  surely  live,  because 
he  is  warned;   also  thou  hast  delivered  thy  soul. 

And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  there  upon  me;  and  he  said  unto 
me.  Arise  go  forth  into  the  plain,  and  I  will  there  talk  with  thee. 
Then  I  arose,  and  went  forth  into  the  plain:  and,  behold,  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  stood  there,  as  the  glory  which  I  saw  by  the  river  of 
Chebar:  and  I  fell  on  my  face.  Then  the  spirit  entered  into  me, 
and  set  me  upon  my  feet,  and  spake  with  me,  and  said  unto  me, 
Go,  shut  thyself  Mithin  thine  house.  But  thou,  O  son  of  man, 
behold,  they  shall  put  bands  upon  thee,  and  shall  bind  thee  with 
them,  and  thou  shalt  not  go  out  among  them:  And  I  will  make 
they  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  they  m.outn,  that  thou  shalt 
be  dumb,  and  shalt  not  be  to  them  a  reprover:  for  they  are  a 
rebellious  house.  But  when  I  speak  with  thee,  I  will  open  thy 
mouth,  and  thou  shalt  say  linto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  31 

He  that  heareth,  let  him  hear;    and  he  that  forbeareth,  let  him 
forbear:     for   they    are    a    rebellious     house     (chapter    iii:15-27). 

The  Prophet  had  been  transported  from  the  place  men- 
tioned in  chapter  i:l  to  Tel-abib,  which  was  also  on  the  river 
Chebar.  Here  a  number  of  captives  dwelt.  For  seven 
days  he  sat  in  their  presence  astonished  and  did  not  open 
his  lips.  Was  it  their  sad  condition,  or  the  knowledge  of 
their  rebellious  spirit,  or  the  threatening  judgments  which 
produced  this  silence.''  Most  likely  these  things  filled  the 
Priest-Prophet  with  unspeakable  sorrow  and  sadness,  so 
that  he  could  not  find  words.  And  the  captives  must  have 
read  the  burden  of  his  soul  in  his  countenance.  The  scene 
reminds  us  of  Job  and  his  three  friends,  who  "sat  down  with 
him  upon  the  ground  seven  days  and  seven  nights,  and 
none  spoke  a  word  unto  him,  for  they  saw  that  his  grief 
Was  very  great"  (Job  ii:13).  Job  broke  the  silence  by  cursing 
his  day.  But  the  silence  of  Ezekiel's  seven  days  was  broken 
by  the  Lord  Himself.  He  addressed  the  Prophet  and  told 
him  that  He  had  made  him  "a  watchman  unto  the  house  of 
Israel."  His  duty  and  responsibility  in  that  capacity  was 
twofold;  first  to  hear  the  Lord's  Word  from  His  own  lips, 
then  to  give  the  warning  from  Him.  Warning  is  the  impor- 
tant call  of  a  watchman  (chapter  xxxiii:2,  6,  7;  Isaiah  lii:8; 
lvi:10;  Jer.  vi:17).  If  the  appointed  watchman  does  not 
hear  the  Word  as  it  comes  from  Jehovah,  he  cannot  sound 
the  alarm.  The  false  prophets  in  Israel,  who  did  not  warn 
the  people,  but  said,  "Peace,  peace!"  when-  there  was  no 
peace,  followed  their  own  dreams  instead  of  the  Word. 
They  did  not  believe  the  solemn  messages  God  had  given 
through  former  prophets.  That  was  the  curse  among 
the  professing  people  of  God  then.  It  produced  a  false 
security,  decline  and  apostasy;  it  hastened  the  impending 
judgments  of  God.  It  is  the  curse  to-day  in  the  professing 
church.     His   Word   is   rejected.     The  solemn  truths   con- 


32  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

cerning  "judgment  to  come"  upon  an  ungodly  age  and  apos- 
tate "church"  are  not  heeded  and  mostly  rejected.  The 
man  who  sounds  the  warning  and  stands  by  the  declarations 
of  God's  Word  is  as  unpopular  with  the  people  to-day  as 
Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  were  in  their  days. 

The  Prophet  was  commissioned  not  to  warn  the  nation 
as  such,  but  to  warn  individuals.  The  wicked  and  the 
righteous  are  mentioned  and  the  Prophet's  responsibility 
in  delivering  the  message.  If  he  does  not  warn  the  wicked 
to  turn  from  his  wicked  way  to  save  his  life,  his  blood  will 
be  required  from  his  hands.  If  he  is  faithful  and  the  wicked 
does  not  hear  the  warning,  the  wicked  shall  die,  but  the 
faithful  messenger  delivers  his  own  soul.  And  so  with 
the  righteous,  who  turns  from  his  righteous  acts  and  com- 
mits iniquity.  He  is  threatened  with  death;  but  if  he  sins 
not  and  is  warned  he  shall  live.  After  hearing  the  warning 
Word  each  is  to  bear  the  consequences  of  his  own  con- 
duct. The  nation  as  such  was  rebellious.  Its  doom  could 
not  be  averted.  Yet  God  in  His  long-suffering  still  gave 
the  individual  an  opportunity  to  escape  the  threatening 
judgment,  that  by  hearing  the  Word  he  might  live.  This 
gracious  offer  concerned  the  wicked.  The  righteous  one  in 
Israel,  who  obeyed  the  law  and  did  acts  of  righteousness 
had  to  continue  in  obedience;  if  he  failed  in  the  midst  of  the 
great  national  crisis  when  judgment  was  about  to  fall, 
his  former  righteous  deeds  could  not  save  his  life.  He  also 
would  be  swept  away  and  die  in  his  sins.  The  first  part  of 
the  third  chapter  reveals  the  hardened  condition  of  the 
nation;  there  was  no  remedy.  The  second  part  reveals  the 
possibility  of  the  deliverance  of  all  who  barkened  to  the 
divine  warning  and  turned  from  their  evil  ways. 

The  passage,  as  well  as  the  corresponding  one  in  chapter 
xxxiii:l-20,  has  been  often  used  in  the  defence  of  what  is 
termed  "falling  from  Grace,"  that  a  true  believer,  who  is 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  33 

saved  by  Grace,  may  by  sinning  become  unsaved  again  and 
then  perish  in  his  sins  like  the  wicked.  The  words  "fallen 
from  Grace"  are  found  only  once  in  the  Bible,  that  is  in 
Gal.  v:4.  The  context  shows  what  they  mean.  If  a  believer 
goes  to  the  law  to  be  justified  before  God,  if  he  tries  by  his 
own  works,  and  by  ordinances,  to  be  righteous  before  God, 
he  abandons  the  ground  of  Grace.  The  dispensation  in  which 
we  live  is  the  dispensation  of  Grace;  Grace  reigns  through 
righteousness  unto  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
(Rom.  v:21).  The  message  delivered  by  God  to  Ezekiel 
is  in  fullest  keeping  with  the  character  of  the  law-covenant, 
though  Grace  is  also  manifested  in  it.  Righteousness  has 
not  the  meaning  here  as  in  the  New  Testament.  We  are 
constituted  righteous  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  now  not 
the  question  of  doing  righteous  deeds  in  order  to  be  saved 
and  live.  We  are  saved  by  Grace  through  faith.  "Now  to 
him  that  worketh  is  the  reward  not  reckoned  as  of  grace 
but  as  of  debt.  But  to  him  that  worketh  not,  but  believeth 
on  Him,  who  justifieth  the  ungodly,  his  faith  is  reckoned  for 
righteousness"  (Romans  iv:4).  And  he  who  is  justified 
by  faith  has  peace  with  God.  The  true  believer  may 
sin,  but  he  does  not  deliberately  practice  and  live  in  sin,  for 
"he  that  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit  (practice)  sin" 
(1  John  iii:9).  If  he  falls  in  sin  a  gracious  provision  is  made. 
We  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous,  and  therefore  we  can  confess  our  sins;  forgiveness 
and  cleansing  follow  according  to  the  divine  promise  (1  John 
i:9;  ii:l-2).* 

After  this  solemn  charge  the  hand  of  the  Lord  rested  upon 
Ezekiel  and  he  was  commanded  to  go  into  the  plain,  where 

*The  responsibility  of  Ezekiel  in  delivering  the  message  was  great. 
Every  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  a  far  greater  message  than 
Ezekiel's  should  also  feel  that  responsibility.  If  it  were  felt  more,  there 
would  be  more  earnestness,  more  prayer  and  greater  results. 


f 


34  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Jehovah  would  talk  with  him.  He  obeyed  and  beheld 
again  the  Glory  of  the  Lord,  which  he  had  seen  by  the  river 
of  Chebar.  Once  more  he  fell  on  his  face.  Then  the 
Spirit  entered  into  him  and  said  unto  him:  "Go,  shut  thy- 
self within  thy  house."  He  had  no  opportunity  to  exercise 
his  office  as  watchman  and  deliver  the  warning  message. 
Immediately  after  the  charge  he  was  commanded  to  separate 
himself  from  the  captives  and  then  became  a  prisoner  in 
his  house.  But  more  than  that.  They  were  to  put  bands 
upon  him  and  bind  him  with  them. 

Does  this  mean  that  the  people  would  bind  him  so  that  he 
could  not  leave  the  house.''  It  probably  meant  the  opposite 
He  was  to  shut  himself  in  the  house  and  they  came  with  bands 
and  bound  him,  to  get  him  out  of  the  house  by  force.  But 
he  was  not  to  go  among  them.  Then  God  Himself  made 
the  Prophet  dumb.  "And  I  will  make  thy  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  thy  mouth,  that  thou  shalt  be  dumb,  and 
shalt  not  be  to  them  a  reprover,  for  they  are  a  rebellious 
house  (verses  25-26).  First  he  was  to  be  bound  so  that  he 
could  not  go  amongst  them,  and  then  God  Himself  would 
make  him  dumb  so  that  he  could  not  reprove  the  people. 
Different  suggestions  have  been  made  about  the  meaning  of 
the  condition  in  which  the  Prophet  was  put.  Some  have 
even  declared  that  there  is  a  contradiction  in  all  this,  in 
view  of  verses  16-21,  while  rationalistic  expositors  think 
that  the  Prophet  suffered  from  some  nervous  disorder  which 
deprived  him  temporarily  of  the  power  of  speech.  That 
the  Prophet  was  unfitted  by  God  to  go  amongst  the  people 
and  deliver  the  message  in  public  was  a  testimony  against 
the  nation.  They  were  beyond  hope,  therefore,  on  account 
of  their  rebelliousness;  he  was  not  to  be  a  reprover  to  them. 
It  witnessed  to  the  fact  that  judgment  upon  the  nation 
could  not  now  be  arrested.  And  yet  his  dumbness  was  not 
complete    nor    constant.     The    last    verse    of    the    chapter 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  35 

makes  this  clear.  "But  when  I  speak  with  thee,  I  will 
open  thy  mouth,  and  thou  shalt  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God;  he  that  heareth  let  him  hear;  and  he  that 
forbeareth,  let  him  forbear;  for  they  are  a  rebellious  house." 
Thus  the  Prophet  was  completely  cast  upon  Jehovah. 
Jehovah  directed  him  in  being  silent  or  in  uttering  His 
message.  Blessed  are  all  servants  of  the  Lord,  who  know 
the  same  path  of  dependence  and  who  declare  the  Word 
of  the  Lord,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  whenever  they  speak. 

The  Prophet's  mouth  was  opened  completely  and  his 
power  of  speech  permanently  restored  after  Jerusalem  had 
fallen.  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  twelfth  year  of  our 
captivity,  in  the  tenth  day,  in  the  fifth  day  of  the  month, 
tKat  all  that  had  escaped  out  of  Jerusalem  came  unto  me, 
saying,  the  city  is  smitten.  Now  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  upon  me  in  the  evening,  before  he  that  escaped  came; 
and  had  opened  my  mouth,  until  he  came  to  me  in  the 
morning;  and  my  mouth  was  opened,  and  I  was  no  more 
dumb"  (chapter  xxxiii:21-22).  This  had  been  previously 
announced.  "In  that  day  shall  thy  mouth  be  opened  to  him 
which  is  escaped,  and  thou  shalt  speak,  and  be  no  more  dumb; 
and  thou  shalt  be  a  sign  unto  them,  and  they  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord"  (chapter  xxiv:27).  Thus  Ezekiel's 
dumbness  was  a  sign  to  the  nation;  the  sign  of  God's  displeas- 
ure and  the  coming  judgment  upon  Jerusalem. 

THE  FOUR  SYMBOLICAL  SIGNS.  r^ 

Chapters  iv  and  v. 

The  divine  predictions  of  the  impending  doom  for  Jerusa- 
lem was  not  believed  by  the  exiles.  The  messages  of  the 
false  prophets  who  moved  among  them  encouraged  the 
rebellious  spirit  and  therefore  the  threatened  disaster  was 
thought  incredible  by  the  captives.  The  mission  of  Ezekiel 
was  to  dispel  the  false  hope  of  a  speedy  return  to  the  land. 


36  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

After  he  had  received  his  solemn  commission  and  the  message 
he  was  to  deliver  to  the  rebellious  people,  he  is  commanded 
to  enact  four  signs,  which  were  to  teach  the  captives  that 
which  would  speedily  come  upon  their  beloved  city  Jerusalem. 

I.  The  Sign  of  the  Tile.  The  first  symbolical  sign  is 
that  of  the  tile,  which  the  Prophet  was  to  use  to  picture 
the  coming  siege  of  Jerusalem. 

Thou  also,  son  of  man,  take  thee  a  brick,  and  lay  it  before  thee, 
and  portray  upon  it  the  city,  Jerusalem;  And  lay  siege  against  it, 
and  build  forts  against  it,  and  cast  a  mound  against  it;  set  the 
camps  also  against  it,  and  set  battering-rams  against  it  roundabout. 
Moreover  take  thou  unto  thee  an  iron  plate,  and  set  it  for  a  wall 
of  iron  between  thee  and  the  city;  and  set  thy  face  against  it,  and 
it  shall  be  besieged,  and  thou  shalt  lay  siege  against  it.  This 
shall  be  a  sign  to  the  house  of  Israel  (verses  1-3). 

The  word  translated  "tile"  means  a  brick.  The  Baby- 
lonians used  clay  bricks  to  keep  their  records;  whole  libraries 
consisting  of  a  very  large  number  of  such  bricks  have  been 
uncovered  hy  the  spade  of  the  excavator.  These  bricks 
were  almost  square,  fourteen  by  twelve  inches.  Many 
have  been  found  which  have  engraven  upon  them  various 
building  plans  and  astrological  figures.  Such  a  brick 
Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  take  and  draw  upon  the  soft 
clay  surface  a  city,  which  was  to  represent  Jerusalem.  The 
second  verse  shows  Jerusalem  in  the  state  of  siege.  The 
coming  calamity  was  vividly  pictured  in  this  first  sign. 
The  Prophet  was  also  to  take  an  iron  pan  (literally:  plate) 
and  use  it  for  a  wall  of  iron  between  him  and  the  city  and  set 
his  face  against  it.  In  all  this  the  Prophet  was  to  show 
Jehovah's  action  against  Jerusalem.  He  impersonated 
Jehovah  in  laying  siege  against  it  in  marking  the  clay  brick 
and  raising  the  iron-plate  between  himself  and  the  city. 
In  connection  with  the  latter  sign  we  may  well  think  of 
Isaiah  lix:2:    "Your  iniquities  have  separated  between  you 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  37 

and  your  God."  Thus  in  this  first  sign  the  certainty  of  the 
successful  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Chaldeans  was  set 
forth  in  plain  view  of  the  captives.  Yet  they  heard  not 
and  continued  their  foolish  dreams  and  believed  rather  the 
false  prophets.  God  has  everywhere  set  forth  in  His  Word 
coming  judgments.  Our  age,  so  self-secure  and  boasting 
in  many  of  its  godless  achievements,  will  end  in  a  great 
judgment-catastrophe.  Every  portion  of  God's  Word  testi- 
fies of  this  fact.  God  will  fulfil  the  prophecies  of  His 
servants  the  prophets.  The  past  fulfilment  of  God's  threat- 
ened judgments  vouch  for  the  literal  fulfilment  of  those  still 
future.  Yet  our  blinded  age  (2  Cor.  iv:4)  heeds  it  not. 
]y[ore  than  ever  they  say,  "Peace  and  safety,"  and  ridicule 
God's  message  and  God's  messengers,  who  give  a  faithful 
warning. 

II.  The  Sign  of  the  Prophet's  Physical  Position.  While 
in  the  first  sign  Jehovah's  action  against  Jerusalem  was 
pictured,  in  the  next  signs  a  portrayal  is  given  of  the  punish- 
ments which  should  come  upon  the  people.  The  Prophet's 
divinely  commanded  actions  witnessed  beforehand  what 
should  come  upon  the  disobedient,  rebellious  nation.  In 
his  own  person  Ezekiel  had  to  taste  the  great  degradation 
and  judgment  which  was  about  to  become  the  portion  of 
the  people. 

Lie  ttiou  also  upon  thy  left  side,  and  lay  the  Iniquity  of  the  house 
of  Israel  upon  it:  according  to  the  number  of  the  days  that  thou 
shalt  lie  upon  it  thou  shalt  bear  their  iniquity.  For  I  have  laid  upon 
thee  the  years  of  their  iniquity,  according  to  the  number  of  the 
days,  three  hundred  and  ninety  days:  so  shalt  thou  bear  the 
them,  lie  again  on  thy  right  side,  and  thou  shalt  bear  the  iniquity 
of  the  house  of  Israel.  And  when  thou  hast  accomplished  them, 
lie  again  on  the  right  side,  and  thou  shalt  bear  the  iniquity  of 
the  house  of  Judah  forty  days:  I  have  appointed  thee  each  day 
for  a  year.  Therefore  thou  shalt  set  thy  face  toward  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem,  and  thine  arm  shall  be  uncovered,  and  thou  shall  pro- 


38  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

phesy  against  it.  And,  behold,  I  will  lay  bands  upon  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  not  turn  thee  from  one  side  to  another  till  thou  hast  ended 
the  days  of  thy  siege  (verses  4-8). 

Expositors  and  critics  have  interpreted  this  and  the 
other  signs  in  various  ways.  Higher  Criticism  maintains 
that  the  whole  description  is  purely  ideal  and  that  the 
Prophet  never  did  in  person  what  was  asked  of  him.  They 
point  to  the  fact  that  nowhere  is  a  statement  made  that  he 
did  these  things.     We  quote  from  the  "Expositor's  Bible": 

"It  is  clear  that  these  signs  could  never  have  been  enacted, 
either  in  view  of  the  people  or  in  solitude,  as  they  are  here 
described.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  whole  descrip- 
tion is  not  purely  ideal,  representing  a  process  which  passed 
through  the  prophet's  mind,  or  was  suggested  to  him  in  the 
visionary  state  but  never  actually  performed." 

Other  critics  have  tried  to  explain  the  Prophet's  actions 
by  some  kind  of  a  catalepsy,  from  which,  they  claim,  he 
suffered.  All  these  theories  are  pure  inventions,  springing 
from  a  denial  of  inspiration.  They  make  much  of  the 
physical  impossibility  of  this  command  to  lie  continuously 
for  390  days  on  the  left  side  and  for  40  days  on  the  right 
side.  But  it  does  not  say  that  the  Prophet  should  be  in 
that  position  day  and  night  during  that  allotted  time.  The 
fact  that  he  was  to  prepare  food  to  eat  during  these  days 
excludes  this  extreme  view.  The  Prophet  no  doubt  carried 
out  the  divine  command  as  he  understood  it,  and  thereby 
gave  the  people  a  sign  concerning  their  iniquity  and  the 
deserved  punishment.  But  what  do  the  390  days  of  Israel 
and  40  days  of  Judah  mean.''  The  text  shows  that  the  days 
here  mean  years.*     The  390  and  40  days  make  430  days. 

*Some  have  concluded  on  account  of  this  passage,  that  through- 
out the  prophetic  word  wherever  "days"  are  mentioned,  they  mean 
"years."  This  is  incorrect.  The  "year-day"  theory  is  not  a  scriptural 
one.  Where  we  find  days,  it  means  days  unless  the  text  itself,  as  it 
is  here  in  Ezekiel,  explains  the  days  as  years. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  39 

This  reminds  us  of  Exodus  xii:40-41.  where  the  sojourning 
of  the  children  of  Israel  who  dwelt  in  Egypt  is  given  as 
430  years.    The  40  years  of  Judah  recall  the  years  of  wan- 
dering in  the  wilderness.    The  390  days  apply  to  the  period 
of  Israel's  unfaithfulness,   which  lead   up  to  their  punish- 
ment.    These  390  years  must  be  reckoned  from  Jeroboam, 
who  was   the  first   King  of  the  house  of  Israel   by  divine 
appointment    as    revealed    through    Ahijah,    the    Prophet 
(1  Kings  xi:31).     The  40  years  of  Judah,  for  which  Ezekiel 
was  to  lie  upon  his  right  side  for  40  days  must  mean  the 
40  years  of  Solomon's  reign.     Solomon  went  after  Ashtoreth, 
tl^e  vile  goddess  of  the  Zidonians.    Judah  worshipped  besides 
Ashtoreth,  Chemosh,  the  god  of  the  Moabites  and  Milcom, 
the  god   of  Ammon   (1    Kings   xi:33).     Thus   the  captives 
were  reminded   by  the   Prophet's   painful    position    of    the 
shameful   history   of   the   long   years   of   apostasy   of  their 
nation.      But   more   than   that.    The   Lord    said    expressly 
to  Ezekiel:    "I  have  laid  upon  thee  the  years  of  their  ini- 
quity    ...     so    shalt    thou    bear    the    iniquity    of    the 
house  of  Israel."     By  consulting  other  passages  in  the  Old 
Testament,  especially  in  Exodus  and  Leviticus,*  it  will  be 
found  that  the  phrase  "bear  their  iniquity"  always  means 
to  endure  the  punishment  due  to  sin  or  iniquity.     Ezekiel's 
sign   therefore  pictured   the   actual   results   in  punishment, 
which  was  now  to  fall  upon  the  people  for  their  sins.     The 
390  years   and   the  40  years   therefore  must  be  primarily 
applied  to  the  period  of  their  punishment.     The  Prophet, 
therefore,  had  put  upon  him  suffering  typical  of  the  nation's 
punishment.     He  is  in  this  a  blessed  type  of  the  great  Sin- 
bearer,  who  bore  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree.    Of 
Him  it  is  written,  "He  shall  bear  their  iniquities."     And 
the  believing   remnant  of   Israel   in   a   future  day,   looking 


*Exod.  xxviii:3S-43;    Lev.  v:l,  17,  vii:8,  x:17,  etc. 


40  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

upon  Him,  whom  they  pierced,  will  yet  confess  "He  was 
wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities;  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  Him 
and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed"  (Isaiah  liii:5). 

III.    The  Sign  of  the  Famine  and  the  Defiled  Bread.    The 

siege  of  Jerusalem  had  been  portrayed  in  the  tile  sign;  the 
hardships  in  divine  judgments  in  the  second  and  the  third 
sign  describes  additional  punishments  to  come  upon  Jeru- 
salem. 

Take  thou  also  unto  thee  wheat,  and  barley,  and  beans,  and 
lentils,  and  millet,  and  spelt,  and  put  them  in  one  vessel,  and 
make  thee  bread  thereof,  according  to  the  number  of  the  days  that 
thou  shalt  lie  upon  thy  side,  three  hundred  and  ninety  days  shalt 
thou  eat  thereof.  And  thy  meat  which  thou  shalt  eat  shall  be  by 
weight,  twenty  shekels  a  day:  from  time  to  time  shall  thou  eat  it. 
Thou  shalt  drink  also  water  by  measure,  the  sixth  part  of  an  hin: 
from  time  to  time  shalt  thou  drink.  And  thou  shalt  eat  it  as  barley 
cakes,  and  thou  shalt  bake  it  with  dung  that  com.eth  out  of  man, 
in  their  sight.  And  the  Lord  said,  Even  thus  shall  the  children 
of  Israel  eat  their  defiled  bread  among  the  Gentiles,  whither  I 
will  drive  them  (verses  9-13). 

Then  the  Priest-Prophet,  horrified  at  the  defilement  he 
was  to  be  subjected  to,  spoke  to  Jehovah  and  received  an  an- 
swer from  Him  granting  his  request  and  giving  further  instruc- 
tions about  the  sign. 

Then  said  I,  Ah,  Lord  God!  behold,  my  soul  hath  not  been 
polluted:  for  from  my  youth  up  even  till  now  have  I  not  eaten  of 
that  which  dieth  of  itself,  or  is  torn  In  pieces;  neither  came  there 
abominable  flesh  into  my  mouth.  Then  he  said  unto  me,  Lo, 
I  have  given  thee  cow's  dung  for  man's  dung,  and  thou  shalt 
prepare  thy  bread  therewith.  Moreover  he  said  unto  me,  Son 
of  man,  behold,  I  will  break  the  staff  of  bread  in  Jerusalem:  and 
they  shall  eat  bread  by  weight,  and  with  care;  and  they  shall  drink 
water  by  measure,  and  with  astonishment:  That  they  may  want 
bread  and  water,  and  be  astonished  one  with  another,  and  consume 
away  for  their  Iniquity  (verses  14-17). 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  41 

This  sign  then  shows  the  horrors  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem 
and  what  was  to  come  upon  the  people  during  the  period 
of  their  punishment.  The  wheat,  barley,  beans,  lentils, 
millet  and  fitches*  were  to  be  put  into  one  vessel,  because 
a  little  of  each  was  available.  To  eat  things  by  weight  and 
not  to  be  satisfied  with  it,  was  announced  through  Moses 
as  one  of  the  threatened  judgments.  "And  when  I  have 
broken  the  staff  of  your  bread,  ten  women  shall  bake  your 
bread  in  one  oven,  and  they  shall  deliver  you  your  bread 
again  by  weight;  and  ye  shall  eat  and  not  be  satisfied" 
(Lev.  xxvi:26).  The  sign  meant  famine  as  the  Lord  told 
Ezekiel  (verse  16). 

Then  uncleanness,  defilement,  is  added.  The  famine 
stands  connected  with  the  siege,  the  defilement  refers  more 
to  that,  which  was  to  come  upon  them  in  their  captivity 
among  the  Gentiles.  It  pictured  the  unclean  religious 
conditions  into  which  the  people  were  to  be  plunged  during 
the  exile.  "Even  thus  shall  the  children  of  Israel  eat  their 
defiled  bread  among  the  Gentiles,  whither  I  will  drive 
them."  The  same  judgment  was  announced  by  Hosea. 
"They  shall  not  dwell  in  the  Lord's  land;  but  Ephraim  shall 
return  to  Egypt,  and  they  shall  eat  unclean  things  in  Assyria. 
They  shall  not  offer  wine  to  the  Lord,  neither  shall  they  be 
pleasing  unto  Him;  their  sacrifices  shall  be  unto  them  as 
the  bread  of  mourners;  all  that  eat  thereof  shall  be  polluted" 
(Hosea  ix:3-4).  And  Ezekiel  baked  the  bread  in  the  pre- 
scribed way,  while  no  doubt,  the  captives  looked  on  in  horror, 
that  a  Priest  like  Ezekiel  could  act  thus.  The  sign  found 
its  fulfillment.  God's  predicted  judgments  were  always 
literally  fulfilled.  God  means  what  He  has  declared  in  His 
Word.     The  future  will  yet  witness  to  it. 


*0r  spelt,  a  kind  of  corn. 


42  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

IV.  The  Sign  of  the  Shaving  of  the  Head  and  the  Face. 

And  thou,  son  of  man,  take  thee  a  sharp  knife,  take  thee  a 
barber's  razor,  and  cause  It  to  pass  upon  thine  head  and  upon  thy 
beard:  then  take  thee  balances  to  weigh,  and  divide  the  hair.  Thou 
shalt  burn  with  fire  a  third  part  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  when  the 
days  of  the  siege  are  fulfilled:  and  thou  shalt  take  a  third  part,  and 
smite  about  it  with  a  knife:  and  a  third  part  thou  shalt  scatter 
in  the  wind;  and  I  will  draw  out  a  sword  after  them.  Thou  shalt 
also  take  thereof  a  few  in  number,  and  bind  them  in  thy  skirts. 
Then  take  of  them  again,  and  cast  them  into  the  midst  of  the  fire. 
and  burn  them  in  the  fire;  for  thereof  shall  a  fire  come  forth  into  all 
the  house  of  Israel  (chapter  v:l-4). 

In  this  final  sign  we  have  the  symbol  of  what  was  to  befall 
the  nation  as  such.  Through  the  Prophet  Isaiah  a  predic- 
tion had  been  given  concerning  the  King  of  Assyria,  which 
explains  the  meaning  of  the  sharp  knife.  "In  the  same  day 
shalt  the  Lord  shave  with  a  razor  that  is  hired,  namely,  by 
them  beyond  the  river,  by  the  King  of  Assyria,  the  head, 
and  the  hair  of  the  feet,  and  it  shall  also  consume  the  beard" 
(Isa.  vii:20).  The  sharp  knife*  represents  in  Ezekiel's  sign 
the  King  of  Babylon.  He  was  Jehovah's  instrument  exe- 
cuting His  wrath.  The  people  are  represented  by  the  hairs 
The  sharp  knife,  the  sword  of  justice,  was  to  cut  them  off. 
The  third  part  of  the  hair  burned  with  lire  pictured  the  fate. 
of  a  part  of  the  people  during  the  siege.  Besides  the  fire, 
the  pestilence  and  the  famine  were  to  consume  them  (verse 
12).  Another  part  was  to  be  destroyed  by  the  sword  round 
about  Jerusalem,  while  still  another  part  should  be  scattered 
unto  all  the  winds,  that  is  dispersed  among  the  Gentiles, 
where  the  sword  would  also  follow  the  fugitives.  Only  a 
few  in  number,  a  small  remnant  were  to  be  preserved  which 
was  symbolically  enacted  when  Ezekiel  took  a  few  hairs  and 
bound  them  in  his  skirt.     But  even  some  of  them  should 

*The  literal  meaning  is  sword,  the  same  as  in  verse  12, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  43 

be  put  into  the  fire.  Such  a  remnant,  saved  and  preserved 
and  ultimately  blessed,  is  often  mentioned  in  the  prophetic 
Word.  See  Isaiah  vi:13;  x:22;  Jere.  xxiii:3;  Ezek.  vi:8; 
Zech.  xiii:8-9.  All  these  judgments  came  upon  the  city 
and  upon  the  nation.  A  remnant  also  was  saved  and  in 
due  time  returned. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  This  is  Jerusalem:  I  have  set  it  in  the 
midst  of  the  nations  and  countries  that  are  round  about  her.  And 
she  hath  changed  my  judgments  into  wickedness  more  than  the 
nations,  and  my  statutes  more  than  the  countries  that  are  round 
about  her:  for  they  have  refused  my  judgments  and  my  statutes, 
they  have  not  walked  in  them.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God, 
Because  ye  multiplied  more  than  the  nations  that  are  round  about 
you,  and  have  not  walked  in  my  statutes,  neither  have  kept  my 
judgments,  neither  have  done  according  to  the  judgments  of  the 
nations  that  are  round  about  you;  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold,  I,  even  I,  am  against  thee,  and  will  execute  judgments 
in  the  midst  of  thee  In  the  sight  of  the  nations.  And  I  will  do  in 
thee  that  which  I  have  not  done,  and  whereunto  I  will  not  do  any 
more  the  like,  because  of  all  thine  abominations.  Therefore  the 
fathers  shall  eat  the  sons  in  the  midst  of  thee,  and  the  sons  shall  eat 
their  fathers;  and  I  will  execute  judgments  in  thee,  and  the  whole 
remnant  of  thee  will  I  scatter  into  all  the  winds.  Wherefore,  as 
I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God;  Surely,  because  thou  hast  defiled 
my  sanctuary  with  all  thy  detestable  things,  and  with  all  thine 
abominations,  therefore  will  I  also  diminish  thee;  neither  shall 
mine  eye  spare,  neither  will  I  have  any  pity,  A  third  part  of  thee 
shall  die  with  the  pestilence,  and  with  fam.ine  shall  they  be  con- 
sumed in  the  midst  of  thee;  and  a  third  part  shall  fall  by  the  sword 
round  about  thee;  and  I  will  scatter  a  third  part  into  all  the  winds, 
and  I  will  draw  out  a  sword  after  them.  Thus  shall  mine  anger 
be  accomplished,  and  I  will  cause  my  fury  to  rest  upon  them,  and 
I  will  be  comforted:  and  they  shall  know  that  I,  the  Lord,  have 
spoken  it  in  my  zeal,  when  I  have  accomplished  my  fury  in  them. 
Moreover  I  will  make  thee  waste,  and  a  reproach  among  the  nations 
that  are  round  about  thee,  in  the  sight  of  all  that  pass  by.  So  it 
shall  be  a  reproach  and  a  taunt,  an  instruction  and  an  astonishment 
unto  the  nations  that  are  round  about  thee,  when  I  shall  execute 
judgments  in  thee  in  anger  and  in  fury  and  in  furious  rebukes. 


44  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

I,  the  Lord,  have  spoken  it.  When  I  shall  send  upon  them  the  evil 
arrows  of  famine,  which  shall  be  for  their  destruction,  and  M'hich 
I  will  send  to  destroy  you:  and  I  will  increase  the  famine  upon  you, 
and  will  break  your  staff  of  bread:  So  will  I  send  upon  you  famine 
and  evil  beasts,  and  they  shall  bereave  thee;  and  pestilence  and 
blood  shall  pass  through  thee:  and  I  will  bring  the  sword  upon  thee. 
I,  the  Lord,  have  spoken  it     (verses  5-17). 

After  these  few  signs  had  announced  to  the  captives  what 
was  to  come  upon  the  city  and  upon  the  people,  Jehovah 
begins  to  speak.  The  solemn  words  we  have  quoted  need 
but  little  comment.  He  speaks  of  Jerusalem's  exalted 
place,  her  wickedness,  which  had  become  greater  than  that 
of  the  nations,  her  disobedience  and  her  judgments.  One 
must  read  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah  to  find  how  all  was 
fulfilled  in  the  final  overthrow  of  Jerusalem.  Compare 
verse  10  with  Lament.  iv:10.  How  terrible  are  the  judg- 
ments of  a  righteous  and  holy  God!  The  calamity  which  fell 
upon  Jerusalem  and  the  land  through  the  hands  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar was  repeated  on  a  more  fearful  scale  in  the  year  70, 
after  the  greater  One  than  Ezekiel,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
had  given  His  solemn  warnings  and  had  wept  over  the  city. 
And  once  more  will  Jerusalem  taste  of  wrath  and  judgment  in 
that  end  of  the  age,  which  is  called  the  great  tribulation. 
And  after  that  the  day-breai:,  when  Jerusalem  will  rise  out 
of  the  dust  and  her  history  of  shame  and  sorrow  will  be 
ended. 

THE  TWO   JUDGMENT  MESSAGES. 

Chapter  vi-vii. 

Two  judgment  messages  follow.  Each  message  is  a 
direct  communication  from  Jehovah  to  the  Prophet.  "And 
the  Word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me."  Both  messages  end 
in  the  same  way:  "And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord."  In  the  first  message  the  judgment  of  the  whole 
land   is    announced.     The   second    message   announces    the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  45 

completeness  of  the  judgment.     The  predicted  end  is  des- 
cribed  with   its   accompanying   perplexities   and   sufferings. 
I.  The  Coming  Judgment  against  the  Mountains  and 
the  Land. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  set 
they  face  toward  the  mountains  of  Israel,  and  prophesy  against 
them.  And  say,  Ye  mountains  of  Israel,  hear  the  M'ord  of  the  Lord 
God;  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  to  the  mountains,  and  to  the  hills, 
to  the  rivers,  and  to  the  valleys,  Behold  I,  even  I,  will  brine;  a  sword 
upon  you,  and  I  will  destroy  your  high  places;  and  your  altars 
shall  be  desolate,  and  your  images  shall  be  broken;  and  I  will  cast 
doVn  your  slain  men  before  your  idols.  And  I  will  laj'  the  dead 
carcasses  of  the  children  of  Israel  before  their  idols;  and  I  will 
scatter  your  bones  round  about  your  altars.  In  all  your  dwelling- 
places  the  cities  shall  be  laid  waste,  and  the  high  places  shall  be 
desolate;  that  your  altars  may  be  laid  waste  and  made  desolate, 
and  your  idols  may  be  broken  and  cease,  and  your  images  may  be 
cut  down,  and  your  works  may  be  abolished.  And  the  slain 
shall  fall  in  the  midst  of  you;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
(chapter  vi:l-7). 

The  denunciation  against  the  mountains  of  Israel  stands 
in  the  first  place.  Jerusalem  was  mostly  in  view  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapters,  but  now  the  Lord  announces  that  the  whole 
land  is  to  become  desolate  through  His  wrath.  The  moun- 
tains of  Israel's  land  were  used  as  places  for  idolatry;  they 
are  called  "the  high  places."  Images  and  shrines  were 
erected  upon  these  heights  where  the  vile  and  idolatrous 
worship  of  heathen  gods  was  practiced.  These  images  were 
idols  dedicated  to  sun-worship.  That  Israel  would  become 
idolatrous  had  been  revealed  to  Moses,  who  also  announced 
the  judgment  which  should  ultimately  fall  upon  Israel  for 
their  idolatry.  "And  I  will  destroy  your  high  places,  and 
cut  down  your  images,  and  cast  your  carcasses  upon  the 
carcasses  of  your  idols,  and  my  soul  shall  abhor  you.  And 
I  will  make  your  cities  waste,  and  bring  your  sanctuaries 
unto  desolation,  and  I  will  not  smell  the  savor  of  your  sweet 


46  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

odors.  And  I  will  bring  the  land  into  desolation,  and  your 
enemies  which  dwell  therein  shall  be  astonished.  And  I 
will  scatter  you  among  the  nations  and  will  draw  out  a 
sword  after  you  and  your  land  shall  be  desolate,  and  your 
cities  waste"  (Lev.  xxvi:30-33).  This  remarkable  prophetic 
statement  was  made  to  Moses,  who  wrote  it  hundreds  of 
years  before.  And  now  the  time  for  its  fulfillment  had  at 
last  come.  God  in  His  patience  had  delayed  the  judgment, 
but  when  the  time  had  come  He  remembered  all  that  Moses 
heard  from  His  lips  and  executed  His  own  Word.  A  care- 
ful comparison  of  the  passage  in  Leviticus  with  verses  3-6 
of  this  chapter  shows  the  literal  fulfillment. 

Yet  will  I  leave  a  remnant  that  ye  may  have  some  that  shall 
escape  the  sword  among  the  nations,  when  ye  shall  be  scattered 
through  the  countries.  And  they  that  escape  of  you  shall  remem- 
ber me  among  the  nations  whither  they  shall  be  carried  captives, 
because  I  shall  have  broken  their  whorish  heart,  which  hath  de- 
parted from  me,  and  with  their  eyes,  which  go  a  whoring  after  their 
idols:  and  they  shall  loathe  themselves  for  the  evils  which  they 
have  committed  in  all  their  abominations,  and  they  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  and  that  I  have  not  said  in  vain  that  I  would 
do  this  evil  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Smite  with  thine 
hand,  and  stamp  with  thy  foot,  and  say,  Alas  for  all  the  evil 
abominations  of  the  house  of  Israel!  for  they  shall  fall  by  the 
sword,  by  the  famine,  and  by  the  pestilence.  He  that  is  far  off  shall 
die  of  the  pestilence;  and  he  that  is  near  shall  fall  by  the  sword; 
and  he  that  remaineth  and  is  besieged  shall  die  by  the  famine; 
thus  will  I  accomplish  my  fury  upon  them.  Then  shall  ye  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  their  slain  m.en  shall  be  among  their  idols 
round  about  their  altars,  upon  every  high  hill,  in  all  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  and  under  every  green  tree,  and  under  every  thick  oak, 
the  place  where  they  did  offer  sweet  savour  to  all  their  idols.  So 
will  I  stretch  out  my  hand  upon  them,  and  make  the  land  desolate; 
yea,  more  desolate  than  the  wilderness  toward  Diblath,  in  all 
their  habitations:  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
(verses  8-14). 

The   Lord    promised    that   in   mercy   He   would    leave   a 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  47 

remnant.  That  remnant  would  acknowledge  the  evil 
they  had  done.  '"  They  shall  loathe  themselves  for  the  evils 
which  they  have  committed  in  all  their  abominations." 
This  is  the  result  of  Jehovah's  action  towards  themselves. 
The  words  "because  I  am  broken  with  their  whorish  heart" 
are  literally  translated  "when  I  shall  have  broken  their 
whorish  heart  which  has  departed  from  me."  No  judgment 
which  came  upon  God's  peculiar  people  ever  made  a  complete 
end  of  the  nation.  A  remnant  always  remained  and  turned 
to  the  /Lord.  During  the  greatest  and  longest  judgment 
which  has  ever  befallen  the  people  Israel,  their  world-wide 
dispersion  in  the  present  age,  there  is  also  a  remnant  amongst 
them  (Romans  xi:5).  And  when  Jehovah  resumes  His 
dealings  with  them  during  the  last  seven  years  of  the  Times 
of  the  Gentiles,  the  time  of  their  greatest  trouble,  a  remnant 
will  turn  to  Him  and  be  converted.  That  remnant  will  be 
carried  through  the  mighty  judgments  of  the  end  time  and 
receive  the  blessings  and  the  glory  of  the  promised  kingdom. 
Ezekiel  was  also  commanded  to  smite  with  his  hand  and 
to  stamp  with  his  foot.  Clapping  the  hands  and  stamping 
with  the  feet  may  denote  exultation  (chapter  xxv:6).  But 
here  it  is  more  an  outward  expression  of  the  vehemence  of 
the  judgment.  In  chapter  xxi:7  we  read  of  the  Lord  smiting 
His  hands.  "I  will  also  smite  mine  hands  together,  and  I 
will  cause  my  fury  to  rest,  I  the  Lord  have  said  it."  A 
repetition  of  the  impending  judgments  forms  the  conclusion 
of  this  first  message. 

Chapter  vii. 
II.  The  second  Judgment  Message.    The  End  is  at  H^nd. 
The  Complete  Judgment. 

The  seventh  chapter  which  contains  the  second  judgment 
message,  closes  the  first  prophecy  of  Ezekiel.  All  the  differ- 
ent elements  and  phases  of  judgment  which  had  just  been 


48  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

foretold  by  the  Prophet  are  now  gathered  up  in  this  final 
great  utterance.  As  the  chapter  is  written  in  a  certain 
rythm  and  contains  in  the  authorized  version  many  incor- 
rect renderings,   we  give   a  corrected   metrical   translation. 

"And  the  Word  of  Jehovah  came  unto  me,  saying,  And  thou 
Son  of  Man,  thus  saith  Jehovah  unto  the  land  of  Israel: 
An  end  cometh!     The  end 
Upon  the  four  corners  of  the  land. 
Now  cometh  the  end  upon  thee 
And  I  will  send  mine  anger  upon  thee, 
And  I  will  judge  thee  according  to  thy  ways; 
And  I  will  bring  upon  thee  all  thine  abominations. 
And  mine  eyes  shall  not  spare  thee. 
Neither  will  I  have  pity; 
Because  I  will  bring  thj-  ways  upon  thee 
And  thine  abominations  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  thee; 
And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah! 

An  evil — an  only  evil! — behold  it  cometh.* 

An  end  is  come — the  end  is  come! 

It  awaketh  against  thee.     Behold  it  cometh! 

0  inhabitant  of  the  land,  thy  doom  is  come  unto  thee 
The  set  time  is  come,  the  day  is  near, 

The  day  of  tumult. 

And  not  the  joyous  shouting  upon  the  mountains; 
Now  will  I  soon  pour  out  my  fury  upon  thee 
And  accomplish  mine  anger  against  thee. 

1  will  judge  thee  according  to  thy  ways. 

And  will  bring  upon  thee  all  thine  abominations. 
Aline  eye  shall  not  spare,  neither  will  I  have  pity. 
According  to  thy  ways  will  I  render  unto  thee, 
And  thine  abominations  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  thee, 
And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah,  who  smiteth 

(chapter  vii:l-9). 

This  is  the  first  section  of  this  great  and  solemn  portion  of 
Ezekiel's  prophecy.     The  end  is  announced  to  come  upon  the 


"Another  rendering  is:    "Calamity  after  calamity!" 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  49 

entire  land.  The  set  time  for  judgment  had  come,  it  could 
no  longer  be  averted.  How  merciful  had  been  Jehovah's 
dealing  with  His  bleoved  people.  "But  He,  being  full  of 
compassion,  forgave  their  iniquity,  and  destroyed  them  not; 
yea  many  a  time  turned  He  His  anger  away,  and  did  not 
stir  up  all  His  wrath"  (Ps.  lxxviii:38).  But  now  the  measure 
of  their  wickedness  had  come.  The  day  of  reckoning  was  at 
hand.  Divine  fury  was  to  sweep  now  over  the  entire  land. 
His  eyes  would  no  longer  spare  nor  would  He  pity  them  any 
longer.  ' 

There  is  another  day  coming  in  which  the  Lord  will  deal 
in  fearful  judgments  with  this  earth.  Now  is  the  day  of 
salvation  in  which  God  speaks  in  love  through  His  Son. 
When  wickedness  and  apostasy  has  reached  its  climax,  the 
day  of  salvation  will  end  and  "the  day  of  vengeance  of  our 
God"  will  begin.  Then  He  will  speak  in  His  wrath  and  vex 
them  in  His  sore  displeasure  (Ps.  ii:5).  Then  will  they  say 
to  the  mountains  and  rocks, "Fall  on  us,  and  hide  us  from  the 
face  of  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  from  the  wrath 
of  the  Lamb;  for  the  great  day  of  His  wrath  is  come;  and  who 
shall  be  able  to  stand.''"  (Rev.  vi:16-17).  God's  judgments 
for  the  future  are  as  sure  as  were  His  judgments  in  the  past. 
There  is  a  set  time,  the  day  of  the  Lord,  when  He,  to  whom 
the  Father  has  given  all  judgments,  will  tread  "the  winepress 
of  the  fierceness  of  the  wrath  of  God,  the  Almighty"  (Rev. 
xix:15). 

Behold  the  Da)*!     Behold  it  cometh! 

Thy  doom  advanceth: 

The  rod  hath  blossomed,  pride  hath  budded. 

Violence  has  risen  up  into  a  rod  of  wickedness; 

None  of  them  shall  remain;    j^ea  none  of  their  multitude, 

Nor  their  wealth;   neither  shall  there  be  eminency  among  them. 

The  time  is  come,  the  day  draweth  near; 

Let  not  the  buyer  rejoice,  nor  the  seller  mourn, 

For  wrath  is  upon  all  the  multitude  thereof. 


50  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

For  the  seller  shall  not  return  to  that  which  is  sold, 

Even  though  he  were  yet  amongst  the  living. 

In  the  vision  touching  the  whole  multitude  thereof 

It  shall  not  be  revoked; 

And  none  shall  through  his  iniquity  assure  his  life. 

They  have  blown  the  trum.pet  and  made  all  ready, 

But  none  goeth  to  the  battle; 

For  my  wrath  is  upon  all  the  multitude  thereof. 

The  sword  is  without;    the  pestilence  and  the  famine  withiu; 

He  that  is  in  the  fild  shall  die  by  the  sword; 

And  he  that  is  in  the  city,  famine  and  pestilence  shall  devour  him. 

But  they  that  escape  of  them  shall  escape. 

And  be  as  the  mountains  like  micaning  doves, 

All  of  them  mourning,  every  one  for  his  iniquit_r. 

All  hands  shall  be  feeble,  and  every  knee  shall  fail  like  water. 

They  shall  gird  themselves  with  sackcloth, 

And  horror  shall  cover  them; 

Shame  shall  be  upon  all  faces,  baldness  upon  all  heads 

(verses  10-18). 

What  a  solemn  description  of  the  doom  which  was  now  to 
fall  upon  Jerusalem,  the  land  and  its  inhabitants!  The 
buyer  and  the  seller  as  well  as  all  the  multitude  were  to  be 
affected  by  it.  The  decree  of  judgment  which  had  gone 
forth  could  not  be  revoked.  The  blowing  of  the  trumpet, 
which  is  mentioned  has  generally  been  misunderstood  by 
expositors.  It  is  said  to  picture  "the  collapse  of  Judah's 
military  preparations  in  the  hour  of  danger,  that  when  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem  came,  none  responded."  The  blowing  of 
the  trumpets  among  Israel  had  a  special  significance.  It 
carried  with  it  the  assurance  that  Jehovah  heard  and  would 
be  ready  to  fight  for  His  people  against  their  enemies.  But 
as  they  knew  their  iniquities  had  separated  them  from 
God,  His  face  being  against  them,  none  did  go  to  the  battle, 
for  His  wrath  rested  upon  them  all.  Sword,  pestilence  and 
famine  would  devour  them  all  and  the  few  fugitives  would  be 
upon  the  mountains  mourning  over  their  iniquities.  The 
rod    mentioned    which    hath   blossomed    means    Nebuchad- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  51 

nezzar,  who  executed  this  great  judgment  upon  Jerusalem. 
The  climax  of  the  judgment  prophecy  is  reached  in  the 
third  part  of  the  chapter. 

They  shall  cast  their  silver  in  the  streets, 

And  their  gold  shall  be  as  an  unclean  thing; 

Their  silver  and  their  gold  shall  not  be  able  to  deliver  them 

In  the  day  of  Jehovah's  wrath; 

They  cannot  satisfy  their  souls,  neither  fill  their  bowls, 

Because  it  was  the  stumbling  block  of  their  iniquity. 

And  the  beauty  of  their  ornaments,  they  turned  it  to  pride. 

And  the  images  of  their  abominations,  their  detestable  things  made 

they  of  it. 
And  I  shall  give  it  to  the  hands  of  strangers  for  a  prey, 
And  to  the  wicked  of  the  earth  for  a  spoil;   and  they  shall  profane  it. 
For  I  will  turn  my  face  from  them, 
And  they  shall  defile  my  secret  place. 
And  robbers  shall  enter  into  it  and  profane  it. 
Form  a  chain, 

For  the  land  is  full  of  bloody  crimes, 
And  the  city  full  of  violence. 
Therefore  will  I  bring  the  worst  of  the  nations, 
And  they  shall  possess  their  houses; 
And  I  will  make  the  pride  of  the  mighty  to  cease. 
And  their  sanctuaries  shall  be  defiled. 
Destruction  conieth! 

They  shall  seek  peace,  but  there  shall  be  n®ne. 
Calamity  after  calamity  shall  appear; 
And  rumour  shall  be  upon  rumour; 
Then  shall  they  seek  a  vision  from  a  prophet; 
But  the  law  shall  perish  from  the  priest. 
And  counsel  from  the  elders. 

The  king  shall  mourn,  and  the  prince  shall  be  clothed  with  dismay. 
And  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the  land  shall  tremble: 
I  will  do  unto  them  according  to  their  way, 
When  I  shall  judge  them  according  to  their  deserts; 
And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord     (verses  19-27). 

Here  we  learn  first  of  all  that  the  stumbling  block  of  their 
iniquity  (verse  19)  was  the  silver  and  gold.     Prophets  like 


52  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Isaiah,  Amos  and  others  bear  witness  to  the  fact  that  Jerusa- 
lem and  the  land  enjoyed  great  prosperity  and  indulged  in 
extravagant  living  before  the  judgment  overtook  the 
nation.  Said  Isaiah,  "Their  land  also  is  full  of  silver  and 
gold,  neither  is  there  an  end  of  their  treasures."  In 
the  third  chapter  of  Isaiah  the  luxurious  dress  of  the 
daughters  of  Zion  is  vividly  described,  while  Amos  also  gives 
the  scenes  of  their  riotous,  wanton  living  and  emphasizes  the 
oppression  of  the  poor.  Riches  had  increased  and  the 
prosperous  conditions  of  the  land  produced  vanity;  they 
forgot  Jehovah  and  worshipped  the  idols  of  the  Gentiles, 
And  now  as  the  day  of  wrath  breaks,  their  eyes  would  be 
opened  and  they  were  to  find  out  the  absolute  worthless- 
ness  of  their  silver  and  gold.  They  would  cast  it  into  the 
streets,  for  it  was  unable  to  deliver  them.  Zephaniah,  in 
his  great  vision  of  the  national  calamity  which  was  to  fall 
upon  the  people,  gives  a  similar  testimony.  "Neither  their 
silver  nor  their  gold  shall  be  able  to  deliver  them  in  the  day 
of  the  Lord's  wrath;  but  the  whole  land  shall  be  devoured 
by  the  fire  of  His  jealousy;  for  He  shall  make  even  a  speedy 
riddance  of  all  them  that  dwell  in  the  land"  (Zeph.  i:18). 
The  Holy  Spirit  bears  witness  in  the  New  Testament 
that  similar  conditions  will  exist  in  Christendom  during  the 
end  of  the  present  age.  "Men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own- 
selves,  lovers  of  money  (covetous)  and  lovers  of  pleasure 
more  than  lovers  of  God"  (2  Tim.  iii:l-5).  The  conditions 
of  worldliness,  apostasy,  prosperity  and  luxurious  living 
which  prevailed  in  Jerusalem  before  the  hand  of  God  stripped 
the  people  and  the  land  characterize  our  times.  This  will 
go  on,  and  will  culminate  after  the  Lord  has  taken  His 
true  church  into  glory.  In  view  of  the  visible  coming  of 
the  Lord  to  deal  with  the  earth  in  judgment  the  Spirit  of 
God  through  James  addresses  especially  the  rich  men. 
"Go  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  your  miseries 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  53 

that  shall  come  upon  you.     ...     Ye  have  heaped  treasure 
together  for  the  last  days"  (James  v:l-3). 

The  message  of  Ezekiel  also  announced  that  the  Gentiles, 
the  strangers,  were  to  come  and  defile  the  temple.  The 
chain  mentioned  refers  to  their  condition  as  captives.  Des- 
truction was  to  come.  There  should  be  no  peace;  calamity 
was  to  follow  calamity;  according  to  what  they  had  done  a 
righteolis  God  would  deal  with  them.  And  thus  it  came  to 
pass  when  Jerusalem  fell  and  the  people  were  taken  away  as 
captives. 

VISIONS  CONCERNING  JERUSALEM. 

Chapter  viii. 

With  this  chapter  begins  a  new  section.  It  contains  a 
series  of  visions.  The  Prophet  is  shown  first  of  all  the 
awful  abominations  which  were  going  on  in  the  temple 
(chapter  viii).  Then  the  fact  was  made  known  to  him 
that  destruction  would  overtake  all  who  were  left  in  Jeru- 
salem, except  the  sighing,  faithful  remnant,  marked  by 
the  man  with  the  inkhorn  (chapter  xi).  This  is  followed 
by  the  vision  of  the  coals  of  fire  and  the  vision  of  glory 
(chapter  x).  The  final  vision  in  this  section  is  the  vision 
concerning  the  leaders  of  the  people  and  the  departure  of 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  (chapter  xi). 

These  visions,  which  concern  Jerusalem's  history  and  con- 
dition in  the  days  of  Ezekiel,  also  foreshadow  Jerusalem's 
future.  There  is  a  remarkable  correspondence  with  events 
revealed  in  the  last  book  of  the  Bible,  the  Book  of  Reve- 
lation. Another  temple  will  be  defiled  by  the  abomination 
of  the  Anti-Christ  during  the  coming  great  tribulation. 
Ezekiel  saw  an  image  of  jealousy,  which  provoketh  to 
jealousy.  There  will  be  another  image  in  Jerusalem  on 
account  of  which  judgment  will  come  upon  the  unbelieving 
Jews  (Rev.  xiii:14-15).    Then  there  will  be  a  remnant  sealed 


54  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and  preserved  (Rev.  vii)  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Ezekiel. 
Coals  of  fire  Ezekiel  saw  scattered  over  the  city;  it  denoted 
an  act  of  judgment.  When  the  last  chapter  of  Jerusalem's 
final  trouble  passeth  into  history,  fire  from  the  altar  will  be 
cast  upon  the  earth  (Rev.  viii:5).  But  while  Ezekiel  saw 
the  glory  departing  after  these  judgments,  the  glory  will 
return  to  the  city  and  to  Israel's  land,  when  the  great 
tribulation  is  ended.  Ezekiel's  vision  of  abominations 
among  Israel  is  first  given. 

I.     The  Vision  of  the  Image  of  Jealousy. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  sixth  year,  in  the  sixth  month,  in  the 
fifth  of  the  month,  as  I  sat  in  mine  house,  and  the  elders  of  Judah 
sat  before  me,  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  God  fell  there  upon  me. 
Then  I  beheld,  and  lo  a  likeness  as  the  appearance  of  fire:  from  the 
appearance  of  his  loins,  even  downward;  fire  and  from  his  loins  even 
upward,  as  the  appearance  of  brightness,  as  the  look  of  glowing 
brass.  And  he  put  forth  the  form  of  an  hand,  and  took  me  by  a  lock 
of  mine  head;  and  the  spirit  lifted  me  up  between  the  earth  and  the 
heaven,  and  brought  me  in  the  visions  of  God  to  Jerusalem,  to  the 
door  of  the  inner  gate  that  looketh  toward  the  north;  where  was 
the  seat  of  the  image  of  jealousy,  which  provoketh  to  jealousy. 
And,  behold  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  was  there,  according  to 
the  vision  that  I  saw  in  the  plain.  Then  said  he  unto  me.  Son  of 
man,  lift  up  thine  eyes  now  the  way  toward  the  north.  So  I 
lifted  up  mine  eyes  the  way  toward  the  north,  and  behold  north- 
ward at  the  gate  of  the  altar  this  image  of  jealousy  in  the  entry. 
He  said  furthermore  unto  me.  Son  of  man,  seest  thou  what  they  doi' 
even  the  great  abominations  that  the  house  of  Israel  committeth 
here,  and  I  should  go  far  off  from  my  sanctuary?  but  turn  thee 
yet  again,  and  thou  shalt  see  greater  abominations'  '(verses   1-6). 

It  was  over  a  year  after  his  first  vision  (i:l)  when  Exekiel 
sat  in  his  house  surrounded  by  the  elders  of  Judah.  Perhaps 
they  had  come  expecting  some  new  communication  from 
the  prophet.  Suddenly  the  hand  of  the  Lord  fell  again 
upon  him.     He  beheld  once  more  the  glorious  likeness  of 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  55 

Him  who  was  the  center  of  the  first  vision  of  glory.*  The 
hand  of  the  Lord  took  the  prophet  by  a  lock  of  hair  and  the 
Spirit  lifted  him  between  the  earth  and  the  heaven  and  he 
was  brought  in  the  visions  of  God  to  Jerusalem.  Was 
this  a  real  experience.^  Critics  speak  of  a  trance,  that  the 
prophet  was  some  kind  of  a  psychic  with  the  gift  of  clair- 
voyancy.  It  was  not  a  trance-vision,  but  an  action  by 
the  Spirit  and  power  of  the  Lord.  Elijah  must  have  had 
frequently  the  same  experience,  for  Obadiah  said  to  him: 
"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  as  soon  as  I  am  gone  from  thee, 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  shall  carry  thee  whither  I  know 
not"  (1  Kings  xviii:12).  And  the  sons  of  the  prophets 
said  to  Elisha  after  Elijah  departed:  "The  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  hath  taken  him  up,  and  cast  him  upon  some  mountain, 
or  into  some  valley"  (2  Kings  ii:16).  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
also  caught  away  Philip  (Acts  viii:39). 

In  the  visions  of  God  Ezekiel  is  brought  to  the  door  of 
the  inner  gate  that  looketh  to  the  north.  Here  was  the 
image  of  jealousy,  which  provoketh  to  jealousy.  Some 
have  taken  this  and  the  following  visions  to  be  retrospective. 
It  has  been  said,  "It  was  as  if  he  were  translated  back  to 
Jerusalem,  and  to  the  time  when  these  things  were  occurring." 
Such  is  the  view  of  some  critics;  however,  it  is  untenable. 
These  visions  would  lose  their  meaning  if  the  prophet  only 
seemed  to  be  translated  back  to  Jerusalem  and  to  the  time 
when  these  abominations  had  happened  in  Israel's  past 
history.  Later  we  find  the  names  of  persons  given,  whom 
he    saw.      They    certainly   were   living    persons    known    to 


*The  word  "fire"  is  in  the  Septuagint  (ancient  Greek  Version  c  f  the 
Old  Testament)  translated  "man"  so  that  it  reads  "the  appearan  e  of 
a  man."  There  is  a  similarity  between  the  Hebrew  words  for  "n  an" 
and  "fire."  Fire  is  "esh"  and  man  "ish."  Compare  with  chapter 
i:26,  17. 


56  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Ezekiel  and  his  contemporaries.  One  of  them  died  while 
Ezekiel  prophesied  (xi:13). 

What  was  the  image  of  jealousy  which  provoketh  to 
jealousy?  It  was  an  idol.  The  word  is  used  in  Deut.  iv:- 
16,  where  it  is  translated  "graven  image."  It  is  also  found 
in  2  Chroncicles  xxxiii:7,  15,  where  it  refers  to  the  idol, 
which  Manasseh  had  made  and  put  up  in  the  temple. 

After  Manasseh's  idolatry  came  Josiah's  great  reforma- 
tion. After  his  death  Judah  plunged  into  greater  wicked- 
ness under  the  reign  of  wicked  kings  and  a  revival  of  idolatry 
followed  once  more.  Such  a  wrath  provoking  idol  was  beheld 
by  the  prophet.  This  image  they  worshipped.  "Son  of 
man,  seest  thou  what  they  do?"  They  must  have  lain 
prostrate  before  that  idol.  And  yet  the  glory  of  the  God  of 
Israel  was  still  there.  He  had  not  yet  abandoned  the  place. 
Idolatry  will  once  more  be  practiced  in  Jerusalem.  Our 
Lord  speaks  of  it  prophetically  in  Matthew  xii:43-45.  The 
unclean  spirit  is  idolatry.  The  Jewish  people  are  now 
purged  from  it.  At  some  future  time  that  spirit  will  return 
with  seven  others.  "And  the  last  state  of  that  man  is 
worse  than  the  first."  Then  our  Lord  applied  the  parable: 
"E^ven  so  shall  it  be  also  unto  this  wicked  generation" 
(literally:  race).  During  the  reign  of  the  final  Anti-Christ, 
idolatry  in  its  worst  form  will  be  instituted  once  more  in 
Jerusalem  (2  Thess.  ii:3-4;   Rev.  xiii:ll-18). 

II.     The  Worship  of  Creeping  and  Abominable  Beasts. 

And  he  brought  me  to  the  door  of  the  court;  and  when  I  looked, 
behold,  a  hole  in  the  wall.  Then  said  he  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  dig 
now  in  the  wall:  and  when  I  had  digged  in  the  wall,  behold,  a  door. 
And  he  said  unto  me,  Go  in,  and  behold  t!ie  wicked  abominations 
that  they  do  here.  So  I  went  in  and  saw;  and,  behold,  every  form 
of  creeping  things,  and  abominable  beasts,  and  all  the  idols  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  portrayed  upon  the  wall  round  about.  And  there 
stood  before  them  seventy  men  of  the  ancients  of  the  house  of  Israel, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  57 

and  in  the  midst  of  them  stood  Jaazaniah  the  son  of  Shaphan,  with 
every  man  his  censer  in  his  hand;  and  a  thick  cloud  of  incense  went 
up.  Then  said  he  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  hast  thou  seen  what  the 
ancients  of  the  house  of  Israel  do  in  the  dark,  every  man  in  the 
chambers  of  his  imagery?  for  they  say,  The  Lord  seeth  us  not;  the 
Lord  hath  forsaken  the  earth"  (verses  7-12). 

The  prophet  saw  next  a  hole  in  the  wall,  and  being  com- 
manded to  dig  into  it  he  found  a  secret  door  through  which 
he  entered.  In  the  chamber,  upon  the  wall  round  about, 
were  pictured  creeping  things  and  abominable  things. 
A  worship  of  these  creeping  things  and  beasts  was  in  prog- 
ress, for  the  seventy  ancients  of  Israel  were  swinging  censers 
full  of  incense,  so  that  a  thick  cloud  went  up.  They  were 
practising  idolatry  after  the  order  of  Egypt  and  of  the 
most  degrading  kind.  The  people  of  God  had  sunk  as 
deep,  yea  deeper,  than  the  heathen  round  about  them 
(Romans  i:23).  And  the  leaders  of  the  nation,  the  seventy 
elders,  were  there  leading  in  this  worship  of  abominations. 
Jaazaniah,  the  son  of  Shaphan,  is  especially  mentioned. 
Shaphah  was  the  scribe,  vvho  received  from  the  high-priest, 
Hilkiah,  the  book  of  the  law,  and  who  read  it  before  King 
Josiah  (2  Kings  xxii:8-ll;  Jere.  xxxix:14).  The  son  of 
this  illustrious  and  God-fearing  scribe  was  the  leader  among 
the  animal-worshippers.  It  was  an  evidence  of  the  great 
apostasy  which  had  engulfed  the  nation.  And  these  idol- 
worshippers,  each  in  his  chamber  of  imagery  (probably 
individual  cells)  said:  "The  Lord  seeth  us  not;  the  Lord 
hath  forsaken  the  earth."  They  denied  His  omniscience 
and  omnipresence.  The  apostasy  in  Christendom  is 
going  the  same  road. 

III.    The  Women  Weeping  for  Tammuz. 

He  said  also  unto  me.  Turn  thee  yet  again,  and  thou  slialt  see 
greater  abominations  that  they  do.  Then  he  brought  me  to  the 
door  of  the  gate  of  the  Lord's  house  which  was  toward  the  north; 


58  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and,  behold,  there  sat  women  weeping  for  Tammuz.  Then  said  he 
unto  me,  Hast  thou  seen  this,  O  son  of  man?  Turn  thee  yet  again, 
and  thou  shalt  see  greater  abominations  than  these  (versrs  13-15). 

Tammuz,  the  Babylonian  "Dumuzl,"  was  the  god  of  spring 
vegetation,  who  dies,  going  down  to  Hades,  and  revives 
again  with  each  returning  summer.  The  worship  of  this 
god  became  identified  with  Phoenicia,  and  from  there  this 
wicked  cult  came  to  Greece,  where  Tammuz  was  known 
under  the  name  of  Adonis.  The  weeping  woman  celebrated 
the  death  of  the  god,  an  emblem  of  the  decay  of  earth's 
productive  powers.  With  it  were  connected  some  of  the 
vilest,  immoral  ceremonies  and  licentious  habits.  Thus 
we  see  how  false  worship  and  immorality  are  closely,  yea, 
inseparably,  linked  together.  In  our  days  the  increase  of 
licentiousness  is  but  the  result  of  having  rejected  the  Truth 
of  God. 

IV.    The   Greatest  of  all  Abominations :     Sun- Worship. 

And  he  brought  me  into  the  inner  court  of  the  Lord's  house;  and, 
behold  at  the  door  of  the  temple  of  the  Lord,  between  the  porch  and 
the  altar,  were  about  five  and  twenty  men,  with  their  backs  toward 
the  temple  of  the  Lord,  and  their  faces  toward  the  east;  and  they 
worshipped  the  sun  toward  the  east.  Then  he  said  unto  me,  Hast 
thou  seen  this,  O  son  of  man?  Is  it  a  light  thing  to  the  house  of 
Judah  that  they  commit  the  abominations  which  they  commit 
here?  for  they  have  filled  the  land  with  violence,  and  have  returned 
to  provoke  me  to  anger:  and,  lo,  they  put  the  branch  to  their  nose. 
Therefore,  will  I  also  deal  in  fury;  mine  eye  shall  not  spare,  neither 
will  I  have  pity;  and  though  they  cry  in  mine  ears  with  a  loud 
voice,  yet  will  I  not  hear  them"     (verses  16-18). 

The  twenty-five  men,  who  stood  between  the  porch  and 
the  altar  with  their  backs  to  the  house  of  the  Lord  and 
their  faces  towards  the  sun,  worshipping  the  sun,  were  the 
twenty-four  priests,  who  constituted  the  appointed  courses. 
Their  attitude  was  one  of  defiance.  They  practiced  the 
abominable    cult,    openly    showing    by    the    turned    backs 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  59 

against  the  temple  that  they  had  wilfully  rejected  Jehovah 
and  His  worship.  What  else  was  connected  with  sun- 
v/orship?  One  mysterious  sentence  appears  at  the  close  of 
verse  17.  "And,  lo,  they  put  the  branch  to  their  nose." 
This  phrase  is  very  obscure.  Jewish  commentators  claim 
that  the  words  conceal  some  shocking  and  wicked  rite; 
and  this  may  be  the  correct  meaning.  Sun-worship  and 
its  attending  lusts  of  the  flesh  are  not  unknown  in  our 
own  times.  A  few  months  ago  a  great  sun-festival  was 
held  in  Paris.*  Thousands  participated  in  it.  Hymns 
to  the  sun  were  sung  and  sun-dances  held,  while  the  nights 
were  given  over  to  all  kinds  of  immoralities.  Bahaism, 
whose  deceitful  leader  is  a  sun-worshipper,  has  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  followers  in  the  English  speaking  world. 
They  turned  their  ears  from  the  Truth  and  have  been  turned 
to  fables. 

Elders,  women  and  priests  had  turned  from  Jehovah  and 
His  worship.  And  now  Jehovah  speaks  and  pronounces 
judgment  upon  them.  "Therefore  will  I  also  deal  in  fury; 
mine  eye  shall  not  spare,  neither  will  I  have  pity;  and 
though  they  cry  in  mine  ears  with  a  loud  voice,  yet  will  1 
not  hear  them."  Jehovah  did  according  to  His  word.  He 
did  not  spare;  there  was  no  pity.  Jerusalem  and  the  temple 
were  destroyed  and  the  people  had  to  feel  Jehovah's  fury. 
And  judgment  greater  than  Jerusalem's  v/ill  surely  over- 
take this  present  evil  age  with  its  idolatries,  its  abominations, 
its  rejection  of  God's  Gospel  and  defiance  of  God. 

*This  was  three  months  before  the  war. 


60  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  MAN  WITH  THE  INKHORN. 

Chapter  ix. 

The  vision  which  follows  is  closely  connected  with  the  pre- 
vious visions  in  which  Ezekiel  had  seen  the  worship  of  idols, 
and  of  beasts,  and  of  the  sun.  Divine  judgment  must  follow. 
It  is  a  judgment  vision  the  Prophet  how  beholds.  The 
judgment,  however,  is  of  a  discriminating  character.  The 
messengers  are  commissioned  to  mark  the  sorrowing,  faithful 
remnant.  For  the  rest  of  the  sinners  in  Jerusalem  there  is 
no  mercy.  They  had  defiled  the  temple  and  now  the  temple 
was  to  be  defiled  by  their  slain  bodies. 

I.    The  Judgment  Command  Given. 

He  cried  also  in  mine  ears  witli  a  loud  voice,  saying,  Cause  them 
that  have  charge  over  the  city  to  draw  near,  even  every  man  with 
his  destroying  weapon  in  his  hand.  And,  behold,  six  men  came 
from  the  way  of  the  higher  gate,  which  lieth  toward  the  north,  and 
every  man  a  slaughter  weapon  in  his  hand;  and  one  man  among 
them  was  clothed  with  linen,  with  a  writer's  inkhorn  by  his  side: 
and  they  went  in,  and  stood  beside  the  brazen  altar.  And  the 
glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  was  gone  up  from  tlie  cherub,  whereupon 
he  was,  to  the  threshold  of  the  house.  And  he  called  to  the  man 
clothed  with  linen,  which  had  the  writer's  inkhorn  by  his  side; 
and  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  Go  through  the  midst  of  the  city, 
through  the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  set  a  mark  upon  the  foreheads 
of  the  men  that  sigh  and  that  cry  for  all  the  abominations  that  be 
done  in  the  midst  thereof.  And  to  the  others  he  said  in  mine  hear- 
ing, Go  ye  after  him  through  the  city,  and  smite:  let  not  your  eye 
spare,  neither  have  ye  pity.  Slay  utterly  old  and  young,  both 
maids,  and  little  children,  and  women:  but  come  not  near  any 
man  upon  whom  is  the  mark;  and  begin  at  my  sanctuary 
(verses  1-6). 

Who  are  they  who  are  called  to  execute  the  judgment.'' 
Six  men  came  from  the  way  of  the  higher  gate,  one  of  them 
clothed  in  linen  had  a  writer's  inkhorn  by  his  side,  while 
the  others   had   slaughter  weapons   in   their  hands.     They 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  61 

were  not  human  beings  but  angels.  The  city  was  given  over 
into  their  hands.  Angels  were  therefore  used  in  God's 
judgments  of  the  past.  They  will  be  used  in  thecoming 
judgments.  "The  Son  of  Man  shall  send  forth  His  angels, 
and  they  shall  gather  out  of  His  Kingdom  all  things  that 
offend  and  them  which  do  iniquity"  (Matt.  xiii:41).  "For 
the  Son  of  Man  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  His  Father  with 
His  angels"  (Matt.  xvi:27).  "When  the  Lord  Jesus  shall 
be  revealed  from  heaven  with  His  mighty  angels,  in  flaming 
fire, /taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not  God,  and 
that  obey  not  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (2  Thess. 
i:7-8).  Throughout  the  book  of  Revelation  angels  are 
seen  carrying  out  the  judgments  of  God.  Especially  are 
we  reminded  here  of  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  last  book  of 
the  Bible.  Four  angels  are  seen  there  holding  the  four 
winds  of  the  earth.  Then  there  appeared  a  fifth  angel 
having  the  seal  of  the  living  God.  He  cried  with  a  loud 
voice  to  the  four  angels:  "Hurt  not  the  earth,  neither  the 
sea,  nor  the  trees,  till  we  have  sealed  the  servants  of  our 
God  in  their  foreheads"  (Rev.  vii:l-3).  One  hundred  and 
forty-four  thousand  were  then  sealed.  The  sealed  ones  in 
Revelation  with  the  mark  on  the  forehead  constitute  the 
faithful  remnant  of  Israel  who  witness  during  the  tribulation. 
Those  who  die  the  martyr's  death  will  have  part  in  the  first 
resurrection,  because  they  did  not  worship  the  beast  nor 
received  his  mark  on  their  foreheads  (Rev.  xx:4).  Those 
who  will  be  kept  through  the  tribulation  will  be  the  nucleus 
of  the  Kingdom  on  earth.  We  notice  a  striking  corres- 
pondency v/ith  this  vision  of  Ezekiel.  Judgment  is  to  fall 
upon  all  the  apostates  in  Jerusalem,  but  the  men  that  sigh 
and  cry  on  account  of  the  abominations  were  to  be  marked 
by  the  angel  with  the  inkhorn  and  escape  the  impending 
judgment.  Their  sighing  and  weeping  was  the  evidence 
that  they  did  not  share  the  abominations  of  Idolatry  but  were 


62  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

true  to  Jehovah  and  His  worship.  And  may  we  not  forget 
that  now  in  Christendom,  in  the  midst  of  the  dark  days 
of  apostasy  and  the  soon  coming  tribulation  and  judgment, 
there  is  a  faithful  remnant,  who  sigh  and  cry  and  to  whom 
the  Lord  has  giveii  a  special  promise:  "Because  thou  hast 
kept  the  word  of  my  patience,  I  also  will  keep  thee  from 
the  hour  of  trial,  which  shall  come  upon  all  the  world,  to 
try  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth"  (Rom.  iii:10). 

The  word  "mark"  in  the  Hebrew  is  "Tav,"  the  last  letter  in 
the  Hebrew  alphabet.  Its  literal  meaning  is  "cross." 
This  letter  "T"  was  a  cross  in  the  older  Hebrew  script  as 
well  as  in  the  Phoenician  and  Samaritan.  The  Egyptians 
also  used  a  cross  in  their  language;  with  them  it  was  a 
sign  of  life.  Ancient  Jewish  tradition  gives  the  information 
that  the  blood  sprinkled  in  Egypt  on  the  doorpost  (Exodus 
xii:23)  was  in  the  form  of  a  cross.  All  this  is  interesting. 
To  this  we  may  add  that  in  Genesis  iv:15,  the  mark  set 
upon  Cain,  an  entirely  different  word  is  used. 

"Begin  at  my  sanctuary"  was  the  command.  There  the 
responsibility  rested  and  there  the  judgment  had  to  begin. 
1  Peter  iv:17  may  here  be  considered.  "For  the  time  is 
come  that  judgment  must  begin  at  the  house  of  God;  and 
if  it  first  begin  at  us,  what  shall  the  end  be  of  them  that  obey 
not  the  Gospel  of  God." 

II.    The  Command  Executed. 

Then  they  began  at  the  ancient  men  which  w  ere  before  the  liouse. 
And  he  said  unto  them,  Defile  the  house,  and  fill  the  courts  with  the 
slain:  go  ye  forth.  And  they  went  forth,  and  slew  in  the  city. 
And  it  came  to  pass,  while  they  were  slaying  them,  and  T  v/as  left, 
that  I  fell  upon  my  face,  and  cried,  and  said,  Ah,  Lord  Goal  wilt  thou 
destroy  all  the  residue  of  Israel  in  thy  pouring  out  of  thy  fury  upon 
Jerusalem.''  Then  said  he  unto  me.  The  iniquity  of  the  house  of 
Israel  and  Judah  is  exceeding  great,  and  the  land  is  full  of  blood, 
and  the  city  full  of  perverseness:  for  they  say,  The  Lord  hath 
forsaken  the  earth,  and  the  Lord  seeth  not.     And  as  for  me  also, 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  63 

mine  ej-e  shall  not  spare,  neither  will  I  have  pity,  but  I  will 
recompense  their  way  upon  their  head.  And,  behold,  the  man 
clothed  with  linen,  which  had  tlie  inkhorn  by  his  side,  reported 
the  matter,  saying,  I  have  done  as  thou  hast  commanded  me 
(verses  7-1 1). 

The  command  is  literally  carried  out.  God's  judgments 
are  always  carried  out  to  the  letter;  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  a  "spiritual"  fulfillment  of  a  judgment  of  God.  The 
world  some  day  will  find  out  the  solemn  truth  of  this  fact. 
The  temple  where  they  had  practised  all  the  vileness  of 
idolatry,  where  they  worshipped  creeping  things,  is  now 
defiled  by  their  dead  bodies.  To  touch  a  dead  body  any- 
where meant  defilement  for  seven  days  (Num.  xix:ll),  but 
now  the  very  place  which  they  considered  holy  is  made  a 
defiled  place.  The  Priest-Prophet  is  shocked.  He  fell  on 
his  face  and  a  cry  of  horror  escaped  his  lips.  "Ah,  Lord  God! 
wilt  Thou  destroy  all  the  residue  of  Israel  in  Thy  pouring 
out  of  Thy  fury  upon  Jerusalem.'"'  Was  it  not  contrary  to 
God's  holiness  to  defile  the  place  dedicated  to  Himself.'' 
And  would  He  not  show  mercy  and  destroy  the  residue  of 
His  people.''  The  despairing  cry  is  answered  at  once.  The 
iniquity  of  the  house  of  Israel  and  the  house  of  Judah  was 
filled  up.  God  could  no  longer  pity  nor  spare.  This  is 
but  a  repetition  of  what  Jehovah  had  announced  before. 
(See  chapter  v:ll;   vii:4;   viii:18.) 

"And  behold,  the  man  clothed  in  linen,  which  had  the 
inkhorn  by  his  side,  reported  the  matter,  saying,  I  have 
done  as  Thou  hast  commanded  me." 


64  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

THE  VISION   OF   THE   COALS   OF  FIRE   AND   THE 
VISION  OF  THE  DEPARTING  GLORY. 

Chapter  x. 

After  the  Prophet  had  seen  the  marking  of  the  faithful 
ones  in  the  doomed  city,  two  other  visions  follow.  They  also 
relate  to  the  impending  judgment  of  the  doomed  city. 
The  first  vision  indicates  the  fire  by  which  the  city  would  be 
consumed,  and  the  second,  another  vision  of  the  glory, 
shows  how  that  glory  was  gradually  departing  from  Jeru- 
salem. The  complete  departure  is  recorded  in  the  eleventh 
chapter. 

I.    The  Vision  of  the  Coals  of  Fire. 

Then  I  looked,  and,  behold,  in  the  firmament  of  the  cherubim 
there  appeared  over  them  as  it  were  a  sapphire  stone,  as  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  likeness  of  a  throne.  And  he  spake  unto  the  man 
clothed  with  linen,  and  said,  Go  in  between  the  wheels,  even  the 
under  cherub,  and  fill  thine  hand  with  coals  of  fire  from  between 
the  cherubim,  and  scatter  them  over  the  city.  And  he  went  in 
my  sight.  Now  the  cherubim  stood  on  the  right  side  of  the  house, 
when  the  man  went  in;  and  the  cloud  filled  the  inner  court.  Then 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the  cherub,  and  stood  over  the 
threshold  of  the  house;  and  the  house  was  filled  with  the  cloud, 
and  the  court  was  full  of  the  brightness  of  the  Lord's  glory.  And  the 
sound  of  the  cherubims'  Mings  was  heard  even  to  the  outer  court, 
as  the  voice  of  the  Almighty  God  when  he  speaketh.  And  it  came 
to  pass,  that  when  he  had  commanded  the  man  clothed  with  linen, 
saying,  Take  fire  from  between  the  wheels,  from  between  the 
cherubims;  then  he  went  in,  and  stood  beside  the  wheels.  And 
one  cherub  stretched  forth  his  hand  from  between  the  cherubim 
unto  the  fire  that  was  between  the  cherubim,  and  took  thereof, 
and  put  it  into  the  hands  of  him  that  was  clothed  with  linen; 
who  took  it,  and  went  out  (verses  1-7). 

Once  more  the  Prophet  beholds  in  the  firmanent  above 
the  cherubim  the  likeness  of  a  throne.  It  is  the  throne  of 
the  Lord.    However,  the  occupant  of  the  throne  is  not  seen; 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  65 

His  voice  only  is  heard.  The  man  clothed  witli  linen  is 
commanded  to  go  in  between  the  wheels,  under  the  cherub, 
to  fill  his  hands  with  coals  of  fire  and  then  to  scatter  them 
over  the  city.  Who  is  this  man  clothed  in  linen .^  He 
appeared  for  the  first  time  in  the  preceding  chapter.  With 
the  inkhorn  at  his  side,  he  set  the  mark  upon  the  foreheads 
of  the  faithful  ones.  Here  we  see  him  again  executing  the 
judgment  upon  Jerusalem.  Judgment  is  given  into  his 
hands.  That  he  is  a  supernatural  being  is  clear.  And  he  is 
more  than  an  angel.  He  held  the  place  of  pre-eminence 
among  the  other  angels  (chapter  ix:2-4).  This  angel  is 
the  Angel  of  the  Lord,  the  same  who  appeared  to  the  Patri- 
archs, to  Moses,  Joshua,  Gideon,  Manoah  and  to  others. 
It  is  the  Son  of  God  in  the  garb  of  an  angel.  In  the  same 
form  he  also  appeared  to  Daniel  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Hiddekel,  "Then  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes,  and  looked,  and 
behold  a  certain  man  clothed  in  linen,  whose  loins  were 
girded  with  fine  gold  of  Uphaz.  His  body  also  was  like 
the  beryl,  and  his  face  as  the  appearance  of  lightning,  and 
his  eyes  as  lamps  of  fire,  and  his  arms  and  his  feet  like  In 
color  to  polished  brass,  and  the  voice  of  his  words  like  the 
voice  of  a  multitude"  (Dan.  x:5-6).  Here  we  have  a  com- 
plete description  of  the  same  person  whom  Ezekiel  saw 
taking  the  coals  of  fire  and  scattering  them  over  Jerusalem. 
Judgment  upon  the  guilty  city  came  from  his  hands. 

When  we  turn  to  the  Book  of  Revelation,  we  find  a 
similar  scene  which  has  not  yet  been  enacted.  "And  another 
angel  came  and  stood  at  the  altar,  having  a  golden  censer; 
and  there  was  given  to  him  much  incense  that  he  should 
offer  it  with  the  prayers  of  all  saints  upon  the  golden  altar 
which  was  before  the  throne.  And  the  smoke  of  the  incense, 
which  came  with  the  prayers  of  the  saints,  ascended  up  before 
God  out  of  the  angel's  hand.  And  the  Angel  took  the 
censer,  and  filled  it  with  fire  of  the  altar,  and  cast  it  into  the 


66  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

earth;  and  there  were  voices,  and  thunderings,  and  lightnings 
and  an  earthquake"  (Rev.  viii:3-5).  This  angel  who 
presents  the  prayers  before  the  throne  and  who  casts  the 
judgment  fire  into  the  earth  is  the  One  who  received  from 
God's  hands  the  seven  sealed  book  (Rev.  v:l),  the  Lamb 
of  God,  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  This  Angel-Priest, 
into  whose  hands  also  judgment  is  committed,  is  the  Son 
of  God.  John  saw  Him  dealing  in  judgment  with  the 
earth,  a  judgment  which  has  not  yet  come,  and  Ezekiel 
beheld  Him  as  the  executor  of  the  judgment  upon  Jerusalem, 
which  was  carried  out  through  Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of 
Babylon. 

Ezekiel  saw  the  man  clothed  in  lined  enter  in  between  the 
wheels.  As  he  went  in  the  cherubim,  these  majestic  creatures 
of  God,  stood  at  the  right  side  of  the'  house,  while  the  cloud 
filled  the  inner  court.  This  cloud  is  the  visible  sign  of 
Jehovah's  presence  (Exod.  xix:9;  xxiv:15-18;  Numbers 
ix:19;  xii:10;  1  Kings  viii:10).  Then  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
went  up;  the  withdrawing  from  the  city  began.  It  stood 
over  the  threshold  of  the  house  which  was  filled  with  the 
cloud  and  the  whole  court  was  full  of  the  brightness  of  the 
Lord's  glory.  From  the  hand  of  the  cherub,  the  man  in 
linen  cloth  received  the  fire  that  was  between  the  cherubim. 
And  he  took  it  and  went  out. 

II.    The  Vision  of  the  Departing  Glory. 

And  there  appeared  in  the  cherubim  the  form  of  a  man's  hand 
under  their  wings.  And  when  I  looked,  behold  the  four  wheels  by 
the  cherubim,  one  wheel  by  one  cherub,  and  another  wheel  by 
another  cherub:  and  the  appearance  of  the  wheels  was  as  the  color 
of  a  chrysolite  stone.  And  as  for  their  appearances,  they  four  had 
one  likeness,  as  if  a  wheel  had  been  in  the  midst  of  a  wheel.  When 
they  went,  they  went  upon  their  four  sides;  they  turned  not  as 
they  went,  but  to  the  place  whither  the  head  looked  they  followed 
it;  they  turned  not  as  they  went.  And  their  whole  body,  and 
their   kacks    and    their   hands    and    their   wings    and    the   wheels, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  67 

were  full  of  eyes  round  about,  even  the  wheels  that  the 
four  had.  As  for  the  wheels,  it  was  cried  unto  them  in 
my  hearing,  O  wheel.  And  every  one  had  four  faces:  the  first 
face  was  the  face  of  a  cherub,  and  the  second  face  was  the  face  of  a 
man,  and  the  third  the  face  of  a  lion,  and  the  fourth  the  face  of  an 
eagle.  And  the  cherubim  were  lifted  up.  This  is  the  living 
creature  that  I  saw  by  the  river  of  Chebar,  And  when  the  cher- 
ubim went,  the  wheels  went  by  them:  and  when  the  cherubim  lifted 
up  their  wings  to  mount  up  from  the  earth,  the  same  wheels  also 
turned  not  from  beside  them.  When  they  stood,  these  stood; 
and  when  they  were  lifted  up,  these  lifted  up  themselves  also: 
for  the  spirit  of  the  living  creature  was  in  them.  Then  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  departed  from  off  the  threshold  of  the  house,  and  stood 
over  the  cherubim.  And  the  cherubim  lifted  up  their  wings,  and 
mounted  up  from  the  earth  in  my  sight:  when  they  went  out,  the 
wheels  also  were  beside  them,  and  every  one  stood  at  the  door 
of  the  east  gate  of  the  Lord's  house;  and  the  glory  of  the  God 
of  Israel  was  over  them  above.  This  is  the  living  creature  that 
I  saw  under  the  God  of  Israel  by  the  river  of  Chebar;  and  I  knew 
that  they  were  the  cherubim.  Every  one  had  four  faces  a  piece, 
and  every  one  four  wings;  and  the  likeness  of  the  hands  of  a  man 
was  under  their  ■wings.  And  the  likeness  of  their  faces  was  the  same 
faces  which  I  saw  by  the  river  of  Chebar,  their  appearances  and 
themselves;  they  went  every  one  straight  forward   (verses  S-22). 

One  would  naturally  expect  after  the  man  clothed  in 
linen  had  taken  the  coals  of  fire  and  gone  out  to  scatter  them 
over  Jerusalem,  that  the  next  vision  the  Prophet  had, 
would  be  the  burning  of  the  city  itself.  Instead  of  receiv- 
ing a  vision  of  the  judgment  work  he  beholds  once  more 
the  glory  of  the  Lord.  The  similarity  with  the  great  vision 
in  the  first  chapter  needs  hardly  to  be  pointed  out.  How- 
ever, the  order  of  the  description  differs  from  that  of  the 
opening  vision  of  this  book.  Critics  have  seen  in  this  fact 
the  evidence  of  some  other  writer  who  interpolated  the  repe- 
tition of  the  vision  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord.  But  if  such  were 
the  case  the  person  who  did  it  would  have  not  dared  to  make 
these  changes.      The  differences  in  the  vision  demonstrates 


fmPi'lV^. 


68  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

that  Ezekiel  is  the  writer  and  not  some  other  person.  He 
beheld  the  same  vision  as  in  the  beginning  by  the  river 
Chebar  only  from  another  viewpoint.  Wheels  and  cher- 
ubim are  seen  first  ready  for  the  departure  from  the  city. 
The  eyes  are  made  more  prominent  than  in  the  first  vision. 
"Full  of  eyes"  we  read  in  chapter  i:18.  Here  in  this  vision 
eyes  are  everywhere.  "And  their  whole  body,  and  their 
backs,  and  their  hands,  and  their  wings,  and  the  wheels, 
were  full  of  eyes  round  about,  even  the  wheels  that  the 
four  had."  This  symbolizes  the  omniscience  of  God.  After 
the  description  of  the  cherubim  and  the  wheels,  the  solemn 
command  is  given  for  the  start.  Verse  13  may  be  rendered: 
"In  my  hearing,  unto  the  wheels,  even  unto  them,  it  was 
proclaimed:  Whirl  wheels."  Once  more  the  prophet  be- 
holds the  faces  of  the  cherubim.  And  here  is  a  striking 
change.  In  the  opening  vision  Ezekiel  saw  their  faces  in 
the  following  order:  The  face  of  a  man;  the  face  of  a  lion; 
these  were  on  the  right  side.  The  four  had  the  face  of  an 
ox  on  the  left  side;  these  four  also  had  the  face  of  an  eagle 
(chapter  1:10).  But  now  Ezekiel  sees  the  face  of  the 
cherub  first  of  all,  then  the  face  of  a  man,  a  lion  and  an 
eagle.  The  cherubim  were  beheld  by  the  prophet  from  a 
different  angle  and  the  face  of  the  cherub*  appears  as 
identified  with  that  of  the  ox.  That  the  vision  did  not 
differ  at  all  from  the  first  great  vision  Ezekiel  expressly 
affirms  at  the  close.  "And  the  likeness  of  their  faces  was 
the  same  faces  which  I  saw  by  the  river  Chebar,  their 
appearances  and  themselves:  They  went  every  one  straight 
forward"  (verse  22). 

Then  when  the  command  had  been  given,  "Whirl  wheels!" 
everything   is    set    in    motion.      The     cherubim   went,    the 


*Tlie    cherub  who  handed  to  the  man  clothed  in  linen  the  fire  from 
between  the  cherubim. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  69 

wheels  went  beside  them.  The  mighty  wings  of  the  cheru- 
bim were  lifted  up  to  mount  up  from  the  earth;  the  wheels 
never  swerved  from  their  side.  When  the  cherubim  stood, 
the  wheels  stood.  The  energizing  Spirit  was  in  all.  The 
Glory  of  the  Lord  departed  from  the  threshold  of  the 
temple;  over  its  portals  "Ichabod"  (the  glory  is  departed) 
was  now  to  be  written.  Then  in  Ezekiel's  sight  the  cherubim 
mounted  up  from  the  earth.  They  halted  at  the  door 
of  the  east  gate  of  the  Temple.  Above  it  was  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord.  Thus,  gradually,  in  solemn  majesty,  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord,  which  had  dwelt  visibly  in  the  Temple  in  the 
midst  of  His  people,  was  departing.  Verse  22  of  chapter  xi 
connects  with  verse  19  of  chapter  x.  The  complete  depart- 
ure of  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  from  the  midst  of  the  city  we 
find  recorded  there.  Here  in  our  chapter  the  cherubim 
with  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  above  them  stood  at  the  east 
gate  of  the  Lord's  house.  From  there  its  final  departure 
took  place.  But  the  visions  Ezekiel  had  seen  were  beheld 
once  more  in  his  great  vision  of  that  temple  which  will  yet 
be  erected  in  Jerusalem.  That  departed  glory  will  then 
return.  "And  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  came  into  the  house 
by  the  way  of  the  gate  whose  front  was  toward  the  east" 
(chapter  xliii:4).  It  will  return  in  the  same  way  as  it 
departed.  And  that  will  be  when  the  King,  our  Lord, 
comes  back  to  earth  again.  Then  the  Glory  will  cover 
Israel  and  Jerusalem  (Is.  iv:5;  lx:l)  and  the  knowledge  of 
it  covers  the  earth  as  the  waters  the  deep. 


10  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

CONCERNING  THE    LEADERS.    PROMISE    OF   RES- 
TORATION.   THE  GLORY  DEPARTS. 
Chapter  xi. 

This  chapter  concludes  the  visions  concerning  the  doom 
of  Jerusalem.  At  the  close  of  the  previous  chapter  we  saw 
the  Glory  of  the  Lord  getting  ready  to  leave  the  doomed 
city.  The  complete  withdrawal  is  recorded  now.  How- 
ever, before  we  reach  this  we  find  a  prophecy  uttered  against 
the  leaders  of  the  people.  Then  the  Prophet  received  a 
comforting  message  about  the  future  restoration  and  bless- 
ing of  the  nation.  This  is  the  first  restoration  promise  in 
this  book.  It  is  repeated  and  enlarged  in  the  great  predic- 
tions after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem. 

I.    The  Prophecy  against  the  Leaders. 

Moreover  the  spirit  lifted  me  up,  and  brought  me  unto  the  east 
gate  of  the  Lord's  house,  which  looketh  eastward:  and  behold  at  the 
door  of  the  gate  five  and  twenty  men;  among  whom  I  saw  Jaazaniah, 
the  son  of  Azur,  and  Pelatiah  the  son  of  Benaiah,  princes  of  the 
people.  Then  said  he  unto  me.  Son  of  man,  these  are  the  men  that 
devise  mischief,  and  give  wicked  counsel  in  this  city;  which  say, 
It  is  not  near;  let  us  build  houses;  this  city  is  the  cauldron,  and  we 
be  the  flesh. 

Therefore  prophesy  against  them,  prophesy,  O  son  of  man.  And 
the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  fell  upon  m.en,  and  said  unto  me,  Speak; 
Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Thus  have  ye  said,  O  house  of  Israel:  for  I 
know  the  things  that  come  into  your  mind,  every  one  of  them. 
Ye  have  multiplied  your  slain  in  this  city,  and  \e  have  filled  the 
streets  thereof  with  the  slain.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God, 
Your  slain,  whom  ye  have  laid  in  the  midst  of  it,  they  are  the  flesh, 
and  this  city  is  the  cauldron:  but  I  will  bring  you  forth  out  of  the 
m.idst  of  it.  Ye  have  feared  the  sword;  and  I  will  bring  a  sword 
upon  you,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  I  will  bring  you  out  of  the 
midst  thereof,  and  deliver  you  into  the  hands  of  strangers,  and 
will  execute  judgments  among  you.  Ye  shall  fall  by  the  sword: 
I  will  judge  you  in  the  border  of  Israel;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord.     This  city  shall  not  be  your  cauldron,  neither  shall 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  11 

ye  be  the  flesli  in  the  midst  thereof;  but  I  will  judge  you  in  the 
border  of  Israel.  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord:  for  ye 
have  not  walked  in  my  statutes,  neither  executed  my  judgements, 
but  have  done  after  the  manners  of  the  heathen  that  are  round 
about  you. 

And  it  came  to  pass,  when  I  prophesied,  that  Pelatiah  the  son  of 
Benaiah  died.  Then  fell  I  down  upon  my  face,  and  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  and  said.  Ah,  Lord  God!  wilt  thou  make  a  full  end  of  the 
remnant  of  Israel.''  (verses  1—13). 

The  Prophet  had  watched  the  movements  of  the  cherubim 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  now  he  is  again  suddenly 
transported  to  the  east  gate  of  the  Lord's  house.  At  the 
door  of  the  gate  he  beholds  twenty-five  men.  He  recog- 
nized among  them  Jaazaniah  the  son  of  Azur,  and  Pelatiah 
the  son  of  Benaiah,  princes  of  the  people.  In  the  eighth 
chapter  he  had  also  seen,  between  the  porch  and  the  altar, 
twenty-live  men  with  their  backs  towards  the  temple  (viii:16). 
In  that  chapter  Jaazaniah  is  mentioned.  The  question 
then  arises,  is  this  the  same  company  Ezekiel  sees  once 
more  and  against  which  he  utters  his  denunciatory  message.'' 
They  cannot  be  identical  with  the  men  in  the  previous 
chapter,  for  they  belonged  evidently  to  the  priestly  class, 
while  the  twenty-five  men  in  this  chapter  are  leaders,  or 
princes,  of  the  people.  Nor  is  the  Jaazaniah  the  same  as 
in  the  eighth  chapter.  Here  is  a  Jaazaniah  who  was  the 
son  of  Azur,  while  the  other  Jaazaniah  was  the  son  of  Sha- 
phan.  These  princes  here  may  be  the  same  of  whom  we 
read  in  Jeremiah  xxxviii:4. 

It  shows  the  complete  corruption  of  Jerusalem.  The 
priesthood  and  the  leaders  of  the  nation  were  steeped  in 
wickedness  and  defied  God  and  the  judgment  He  had  an- 
nounced through  Jeremiah,  and  now  also  through  Ezekiel. 
Interesting  are  the  names  of  those  mentioned,  Jaazaniah 
("He  will  be  heard  of  the  Lord");  Azur  ("Helper";  Pela- 
tiah ("Delivered  of  the  Lord");    Benaiah  ("Built  up  of  the 


72  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Lord").  Their  names  indicate  that  they  knew  the  Lord 
and  His  truth  and  yet  they  had  turned  deliberately  from 
Him  and  from  His  Word.  They  devised  mischief  (or  in- 
iquity) and  gave  wicked  counsel.  Their  wicked  counsel 
consisted  in  disobedience  against  Jehovah  and  His  Word. 
In  regard  to  the  judgment  they  said,  "It  is  not  the  time  to 
build  houses;  this  is  the  cauldron  and  we  are  the  flesh." 
They  knew  of  Jeremiah's  letter  which  he  had  sent  to  the 
elders  which  were  carried  away  captives.  In  that  letter, 
Jeremiah,  believing  God's  Word  concerning  the  long  dura- 
tion of  the  captivity,  gave  the  advice,  "Build  ye  houses  and 
dwell  in  them"  (Jere.  xxix).  They  ridiculed  that  divinely 
given  advice.  They  still  thought  themselves  safe  in  Jerusa- 
lem. The  phrase  "this  is  the  cauldron"  means  the  city  of 
Jerusalem;  and  we  are  the  "flesh"  themselves.  As  the 
flesh  in  the  cauldron  is  preserved  from  the  fire  by  the  cauld- 
ron itself,  so  they  felt  themselves  secure  in  the  doomed 
city.  That  these  wicked  leaders  were  still  in  the  city  shows 
that  the  judgment  in  chapter  ix  was  not  a  complete  judg- 
ment. It  began  at  the  sanctuary,  and  the  wicked  worship- 
pers Ezekiel  saw  in  his  vision  were  smitten  first  of  all,  while 
the  man  with  the  inkhorn  marked  the  entire  remnant  for 
preservation.  Then  the  Spirit  fell  upon  Ezekiel  and  he 
uttered  Jehovah's  message.  Their  proverb  about  the  cauld- 
ron and  the  flesh  is  used  to  announce  their  own  doom.  Those 
whom  they  had  slain  were  the  flesh,  not  they  the  living  ones; 
the  slain  ones  had  the  city  for  a  cauldron.  But  the  de- 
fiant leaders,  who  cast  the  judgment  predictions  to  the 
winds,  would  be  brought  forth  out  of  the  city,  the  place  ,of 
their  supposed  security.  They  feared  the  sword  and  it 
would  come  upon  them.  Solemnly  the  Lord  declared,  "This 
city  shall  not  be  your  cauldron,  neither  shall  ye  be  the  flesh 
in  the  midst  thereof;  I  will  judge  you  in  the  border  of  Israel." 
And  thus  it  came  true.    Nebuchadnezzar  received  his  prison- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  73 

ers  on  the  borders,  the  territory  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel,  at 
Riblah  (2  Kings  xxv:18-21;  Jer.  lii:24-27). 

All  this  finds  a  repetition  in  the  present  age.  God  has 
spoken.  Long  ago  He  has  in  His  Word  announced  the 
judgment  upon  this  present  age.  Men,  religious  men,  lead- 
ers among  the  people,  like  these  twenty-five,  reject  His 
Word  and  do  not  believe  in  the  threatened  judgments. 
"Peace  and  safety"  is  their  false  hope.  But  the  day  is  coming 
and  not  far  off  when  all  who  reject  the  Word  of  God  will  find 
out,  to  their  eternal  shame  and  loss,  that  His  Word  is  true. 

And  while  the  Prophet  delivered  faithfully  his  message, 
the  Lord  touched  one  of  the  men;  Pelatiah  suddenly  died. 
He  may  have  stood  there  with  sneering  lips,  defying  the 
Lord's  mouthpiece,  when  sudden  death  was  meted  out  to 
him.  It  was  a  divine  seal  upon  the  words  they  had  heard. 
This  act  of  judgment  greatly  impressed  the  Prophet  and  he 
prayed  for  the  preservation  of  the  remnant  of  Israel.  Know- 
ing the  sad  condition  of  the  people  he  loved  so  well,  he 
feared  that  they  all  would  be  taken  away.  May  we  also, 
in  the  days  of  impending  judgments  make  use  of  the  prayer 
of  intercession.  The  next  paragraph  contains  the  answer 
Ezekiel  received. 

IT.     The  Message  of  Restoration  and  Blessing. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
thy  brethren,  even  thy  brethren,  the  men  of  thy  kindred,  and  all 
the  house  of  Israel,  wholly,  are  they  unto  whom  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  have  said.  Get  you  far  from  the  Lord:  unto  us  is  this  land 
given  in  possession.  Therefore  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Although  I  have  cast  them  far  oflF  among  the  heathen,  and  although 
I  have  scattered  them  among  the  countries,  yet  will  I  be  to  them  as 
a  little  sanctuary  in  the  countries  where  they  shall  come.  There- 
fore say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will  even  gather  you  from  the 
people,  and  assemble  you  out  of  the  countries  where  ye  have  been 
scattered,  and  I  will  give  you  the  land  of  Israel.  And  they  shall 
come  thither,  and  they  shall  take  away  all  the  detestable  things 


74  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

thereof  and  all  the  abominations  thereof  from  thence.  And  I  will 
give  them  one  heart,  and  I  will  put  a  new  spirit  within  you;  and  I 
will  take  the  stony  heart  out  of  their  flesh,  and  will  give  them  an 
heart  of  flesh:  That  they  may  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  keep  mine 
ordinances,  and  do  them:  and  they  shall  be  my  people,  and  I  will 
be  their  God.  But  as  for  them  whose  heart  walketh  after  the  heart 
of  their  detestable  things  and  their  abominations,  I  will  recom- 
pense their  way  upon  their  own  heads,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  14-21). 

It  is  the  first  message  of  comfort  Ezekiel  received.  They 
were  to  be  scattered  among  the  nations,  yet  Jehovah  prom- 
ises, "I  will  be  to  them  a  little*  sanctuary  in  the  countries 
where  they  shall  come."  This  refers  to  the  remnant  who 
still  clings  to  Him  and  hopes  in  the  fulfilment  of  His  prom- 
ises. Then  follows  the  great  outlook  into  their  future. 
Blessed  promises!  They  are  the  hope  of  Israel.  Their  re- 
gathering,  their  return  from  exile  is  here  definitely  predicted 
by  Ezekiel.  Moses  before  had  anounced  the  same  future 
restoration.  So  did  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah  as  well  as  the 
earlier  prophets.  The  denial  of  the  literal  regathering  of 
Israel  means  the  denial  of  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  They  will 
receive  the  land  of  Israel.  But  greater  things  are  promised 
to  the  people.  The  stony  heart  is  to  be  taken  away;  they  are 
to  receive  a  heart  of  flesh.  This  is  the  result  of  the  new  Spirit, 
His  Spirit,  which  they  will  receive.  It  means  the  new  birth 
of  that  nation  to  enter  into  the  promised  kingdom.  Then 
the  result  will  be  an  obedient  people.  "They  shall  be  my 
people  and  I  will  be  their  God."  Has  this  been  fulfilled  in 
the  return  of  the  feeble  remnant  from  Babylon.''  Many  be- 
lieve that  Ezekiel's  message  found  then  its  accomplishment. 
It  is  not  so.  The  nation  was  not  put  into  possession  of  the 
great  blessings  which  are  ever^'^vhere  linked  with  their  literal 
restoration    and    possession    of   the   land.      Ezekiel's    great 


*0r,  "for  a  little  while. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  75 

visions  of  the  national  restoration  of  Israel  and  the  greater 
spiritual  blessings  are  still  unfulfilled.  They  will  be  ful- 
filled when  the  Glory  of  the  Lord,  that  is  the  Lord  of  Glory, 
their  rejected  King,  the  Son  of  David,  the  King  of  Israel, 
returns, 

III.    The  Glory  Departs. 

Then  did  the  cherubim  lift  up  their  wings,  and  the  wheels  beside 
them;  and  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  was  over  them  above. 
And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the  midst  of  the  city  and 
stood  upon  the  mountain  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  city. 

Afterwards  the  Spirit  took  me  up,  and  brought  me  in  a  vision  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  into  Chaldea,  to  them  of  the  captivity.  So  the 
vision  that  I  had  seen  went  up  from  me.  Then  I  spake  unto  them 
of  the  captivity  all  the  things  that  the  Lord  had  shev/ed  me 
(verses  22-25). 

After  this  comforting  message  of  future  blessing  for  the 
nation  and  restoration  to  the  land,  the  Glory  of  the  Lord 
holds  it  departure.  We  saw  how  it  gradually  withdrew 
from  the  temple,  where  it  had  dwelt.  Now  the  complete 
departure  from  the  city  has  come.  But  it  is  a  blessed 
thought,  before  that  takes  place,  Jehovah  gave  His  Word 
that  He  would  return  and  be  again  with  His  people.  "The 
Glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the  midst  of  the  city  and 
stood  upon  the  mountain  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the 
city."  That  mountain  is  the  Mount  of  Olives.  Signifi- 
cant place  where  the  Shekinah,  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  with 
its  cherubim  and  wheels  was  seen  for  the  last  time.  Upon 
that  mountain  He  stood,  who  is  the  Glory  Himself,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  From  there  He  went  back  to  the  Father. 
And  in  a  coming  day  "His  feet  will  stand  upon  the  Mount 
of  Olives."  And  when  He  comes  back  in  visible  glory, 
Israel  and  Jerusalem  will  behold  the  return  of  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord,  Ezekiel  saw  departing  from  temple  and  city. 
Then  that  will  happen  what  has  never  been  in  Israel's  past 
history;    "AU  the  earth  will  be  filled  with  His  Glory," 


76  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

MESSAGES  AND  PARABLES. 
Chapter  xii. 

A  new  section  of  this  book  begins  with  the  twelfth  chapter 
and  ends  with  chapter  xix.  The  judgments  the  Prophet 
had  announced,  the  great  visions  he  had  seen,  all  show- 
ing the  impending  doom  of  Jerusalem,  were  not  believed 
nor  heeded  by  the  people.  This  is  announced  by  a.  direct 
communication  from  the  Lord  in  the  beginning  of  this 
chapter.  After  he  had  seen  the  departure  of  the  Glory 
of  the  Lord,  he  spoke  unto  them  of  the  captivity  all  the 
things  that  the  Lord  had  shown  unto  him  (xi:25).  Per- 
haps some  time  elapsed  before  the  Word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  him  revealing  the  unbelieving,  rebellious  condition 
of  the  people.  "Son  of  man,  thou  dwellest  in  the  midst  of  a 
rebellious  house,  which  have  eyes  to  see,  and  see  not;  they 
have  ears  to  hear,  and  hear  not;  for  they  are  a  rebellious 
house"  (verse  2).  Therefore  the  speedy  judgment  is  again 
announced  and  the  Prophet  received  a  series  of  messages 
and  parables.  "The  Word  of  the  Lord  came,"  and  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord,"  are  the  oft-repeated  phrases  in  this  most 
interesting  chapter.  We  shall  find  many  solemn  truths  in 
this  section,  truths  which  have  a  meaning  for  our  times  as 
well.  May  we  hear  His  voice  in  these  words  which  the 
Prophet-Priest  heard  from  Jehovah.  The  first  chapter  of  this 
section  has  two  parts. 

L  The  Symbolical  Sign  of  the  Certainty  and  Nearness  of 
the  Judgment. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  also  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
thou  dwellest  in  the  midst  of  a  rebellious  house,  which  have  eyes 
to  see,  and  see  not;  they  have  ears  to  hear,  and  hear  not;  for  they 
are  a  rebellious  house.  Therefore,  thou  son  of  man,  prepare  thee 
stuff  for  removing,  and  remove  by  day  in  their  sight;  and  thou 
shall  remove  from  thy  place  to  another  place  in  their  sight:  it  may 
be  they  will  consider,  though  they  be  a  rebellious  house.     Then 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  77 

shalt  thou  bring  forth  thy  stuff  by  day  in  their  sight,  as  stuff  for 
removing:  and  thou  shait  go  forth  at  even  in  their  sight,  as  they 
that  go  forth  into  captivity.  Dig  thou  through  the  wall  in  their 
sight,  and  carry  out  thereby.  In  their  sight  shalt  thou  bear  it  upon 
thy  shoulders,  and  carry  it  forth  in  the  twilight:  thou  shalt 
cover  thy  face,  that  thou  see  not  the  ground:  for  I  have  set  thee 
for  a  sign^unto  the  house  of  Israel.  And  I  did  so  as  I  was  com- 
manded; I  brought  forth  my  stuff  by  day,  as  stuff  for  captivity,  and 
in  the  even  I  digged  through  the  wall  with  mine  hand;  I  brought  it 
forth  in  the  twilight,  and  I  bare  it  upon  my  shoulder  in  their  sight 
(verses  1-7). 

In  the  commission  which  the  Prophet  received  (chapter  ii) 
the  rebellious  condition  of  the  people  had  been  declared 
by  the  Lord,  and  now  once  more  the  fact  that  they  were  "a 
rebellious  house"  is  mentioned.  They  had  eyes  and  did 
not  see,  ears  and  they  did  not  hear.  Moses  had  spoken  of 
that  (Deut.  xxix:l-4)  and  their  past  history  up  to  the 
days  of  Ezekiel  only  confirmed  the  truth  of  this  statement. 
Isaiah  had  heard  the  same  words  from  the  Lord  (Is.  vi:9-10) 
and  Jeremiah  had  to  repeat  them  in  his  great  call  to  a  back- 
slidden people  (Jere.  v:21).  Then  our  Lord  used  the  same 
words  when  the  nation  had  rejected  His  testimony  (Matt. 
xiii:13-15;  Mark  viii:18;  John  xii:39-40).  The  last  time 
we  find  them  applied  is  in  Acts  xxviii:26-27.  Blindness 
is  now  upon  Israel,  but  the  day  is  also  coming  when  that 
judicial  blindness  will  be  removed  and  they  will  be  no 
longer  the  rebellious  house.  Of  this  coming  great  miracle 
of  the  Grace  of  God  Ezekiel's  later  prophecies  have  much 
to  say. 

Here  the  Prophet  is  told  to  act  again  in  a  symbolical 
sign.  He  was  told  to  prepare  stuff  for  removing.  This 
meant  that  he  should  attire  himself  like  one  who  goes  on  a 
journey  with  sandals  on  his  feet,  a  staff  in  his  hand,  a  burden 
upon  his  shoulders.  Then  he  was  to  remove  from  one  place 
to  another.  He  was  also  to  bring  forth  his  stuff  in  their  sight. 


78  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and  then  with  the  captive's  burden  upon  his  back  he  was 
commanded  to  dig  through  the  wall  and  carry  it  through 
the  hole.  Furthermore  he  was  to  cover  his  face  so  that 
he  did  not  see  the  ground.  All  this  the  prophet  did  in  the 
sight  of  the  people.  In  all  this  the  Lord  in  His  infinite 
patience,  in  making  the  Prophet  a  sign  unto  them,  waited 
still  for  their  repentance;  "it  may  be  they  will  consider, 
though  they  be  a  rebellious  house." 

We  find  the  meaning  of  all  this  explained  in  the  versesl 
which  follow: 

And  in  the  morning  came  the  word  of  the  Lord  unto  me,  saying, 
Son  of  m.an,  hath  not  the  house  of  Israel,  the  rebellious  house,  said  , 
unto  thee,  What  doest  thou.?  Say  thou  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  This  burden  concerneth  the  prince  in  Jerusalem,  and  all 
the  house  of  Israel  that  are  among  them.  Say,  I  am  your  sign; 
like  as  I  have  done,  so  shall  it  be  done  unto  them:  they  sliall  remove 
and  go  into  captivity.  And  the  prince  that  is  among  them  shall 
bear  upon  his  shoulder  in  the  twilight,  and  shall  go  forth: 
they  sliall  dig  through  the  wall  to  carry  out  thereby:  he  shall  cover 
his  face,  that  he  see  not  the  ground  with  his  eyes.  My  net  also  will 
I  spread  upon  him,  and  he  shall  be  taken  in  my  snare:  and  I  will 
bring  him  to  Babylon  to  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans;  yet  shall 
he  not  see  it,  though  he  shall  die  there.  And  I  will  scatter  toward 
every  wind  all  that  are  about  him  to  help  him,  and  all  his  bands; 
and  I  will  draw  out  the  sword  after  them.  And  they  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  shall  scatter  them  among  the  nations, 
and  disperse  them  in  the  countries.  But  I  will  leave  a  few  men  of 
them  from  the  sword,  from  the  famine,  and  from  the  pestilence; 
that  they  may  declare  all  their  abominations  among  the  heathen 
whither  they  come;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
(verses  8-16). 

The  actions  of  the  Prophet  were  witnessed  by  the  people 
and  they  said  to  him,  What  doest  thou.^  The  answer  to 
their  inquiry  is  given  by  the  Lord  Himself.  We  have  there- 
fore the  divine  interpretation  of  what  Ezekiel  had  done  in 
their  presence.     It  is  a  prophecy  and  concerns  mostly  "the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  79 

prince  i.n  Jerusalem";  Zedekiah  is  meant.  His  attempt  to 
flee  from  Jerusalem  and  his  fate  when  the  king  of  Babylon 
put  out  his  eyes,  his  captivity  in  the  land  of  the  Chaldeans 
and  death  in  that  land  are  here  clearly  predicted.  Jeremiah 
xxxix:4;  lii:10-ll  and  2  Kings  xxv:l-7  must  be  read  in 
connection'  with  the  sign  of  Ezekiel  and  the  interpretation 
as  given  by  the  Lord.  Thus  Ezekiel  had  enacted  a  prophecy 
before  their  eyes  which  came  literally  true.  Certain  critics 
have  tried  to  explain  that  what  Ezekiel  did  must  have 
happened  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the  capture  of 
Zedekiah.  However,  this  attempt  to  disprove  the  passage 
as  a  real  prophecy  has  failed.  Others  have  tried  to  explain 
it  in  still  another  way.  It  has  been  said:  "Since  we  know 
that  the  book  was  written  after  the  event,  it  is  a  perfectly 
fair  question  whether  in  the  interpretation  of  the  symbols 
Ezekiel  may  not  have  read  into  it  a  fuller  meaning  than  was 
present  to  his  own  mind  at  the  time."  This  statement  sets 
aside  the  fact  that  not  Ezekiel  gave  the  interpretation  and 
read  something  into  it,  but  the  whole  passage  is  the  Word  of 
the  Lord,  introduced  with  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God." 
Predictions  of  any  kind  revealing  future  events  seems  to  be 
the  unpalatable  thing  for  the  destructive  criticism,  for  it 
proves  the  fact  of  divine  revelation.  We  have  followed 
step  by  step  the  different  judgment  messages  and  visions 
which  the  Prophet  received  and  delivered,  how  Jerusalem 
was  facing  its  certain  doom  and  now  Zedekiah  and  his  fate 
in  trying  to  escape  from  Jerusalem  is  especially  mentioned. 
AH  these  visions  are  closely  connected  and  were  all  given 
before  the  city  fell. 

And  what  the  Lord  predicted  here,  not  alone  about 
Zedekiah,  but  also  about  the  people  and  their  dispersion 
came  true.  They  were  scattered  among  the  nations,  but 
a  full  end  of  them  was  not  made,  a  remnant  was  to  be  left 
and    to    declare    their    abominations    among    the    nations. 


80  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Scattered  in  all  countries  they  witness  by  their  condition  as  a 
homeless  nation  to  their  own  disobedience  and  shame. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
eat  thy  bread  with  quaking,  and  drink  thy  water  with  trembling 
and  with  carefulness;  And  say  unto  the  people  of  the  land.  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  the  land 
of  Israel;  They  shall  eat  their  bread  with  carefulness,  and  drink 
their  water  with  astonishment,  that  her  land  may  be  desolate  from 
all  that  is  therein  because  of  the  violence  of  all  them  that  dwell 
therein.  And  the  cities  that  are  inhabited  shall  be  laid  waste, 
and  the  land  shall  be  desolate;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord  (verses  17-20). 

An  additional  message  is  given.  Ezekiel  was  to  eat  his 
bread  with  quaking  and  drink  his  water  with  dread  and 
anxious  care.  It  was  another  sign  of  the  affliction  which  was 
to  come  upon  them.  The  land  also  should  become  desolate 
and  the  cities  be  laid  waste.  Thus  the  Lord  continued  to 
warn  and  plead  with  His  people.  Judgment  is  always  his 
strange  work  (Is.  xxxiii:21).  "For  He  doth  not  afflict 
willingly  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men.^  (Lam.  iii:33).  The 
unheeded  warnings  were  repeated  over  and  over  again  by 
Ezekiel  and  the  other  prophets;  He  waited  in  His  infinite 
patience  for  the  return  of  His  people  and,  as  we  learn  from  the 
Book  of  Judges,  if  there  is  but  a  cry  from  the  heart  of  His 
people,  He  is  ready  to  respond.  But  Israel  heard  not. 
They  made  light  of  all  the  predictions  of  the  rapidly  nearing 
judgment.  When  we  think  of  our  own  times  and  genera- 
tion, and  remember  the  deliberate  rejection  of  God's  Word, 
the  impenitence  and  worldliness  prevalent  in  Christendom, 
and  the  judgments  which  are  threatened  and  which  must 
come  some  day,  these  opening  messages  of  Ezekiel  and  their 
fulfilment  in  the  judgment  of  Jerusalem  and  the  nation 
take  on  an  additional  meaning.  God  must  needs  do  His 
strange  work,  the  work  of  judgment  upon  those  who  reject 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  81 

the  best  He  has  given,  the  Gospel  of  His  Grace.  The 
condition  of  the  people  is  now  more  fully  seen  in  the  second 
part  of  this  chapter. 

II.    The  False  Hope.    The  Judgment  not  to  be  Delayed. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying  Son  of  man,  what 
is  that  proverb  that  ye  have  in  the  land  of  Israel,  saying,  The  days 
are  prolonged,  and  every  vision  faileth?  Tell  them,  therefore. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will  make  this  proverb  to  cease,  and 
they  shall  no  more  use  it  as  a  proverb  in  Israel;  but  say  unto  them. 
The  days  are  at  hand,  and  the  effect  of  every  vision.  For  there  shall 
be  no  more  any  vain  vision  nor  flattering  divination  within  the 
house  of  Israel.  For  I  am  the  Lord:  I  will  speak,  and  the  word 
that  I  shall  speak  shall  come  to  pass;  it  shall  be  no  more  prolonged: 
for  in  your  days,  0  rebellious  house,  will  I  say  the  word,  and  will 
perform  it,  saith  the  Lord  God. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  me,  saying,  Son  of  m^an, 
behold,  they  of  the  house  of  Israel  say,  The  vision  that  he  seeth  is 
for  many  days  to  come,  and  he  prophesieth  of  the  times  that  are  far 
off.  Therefore  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  There 
shall  none  of  my  words  be  prolonged  an}^  more,  but  the  word  which 
I  have  spoken  shall  be  done,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  21—28). 

We  must  again  remember  in  reading  these  words  that  in 
the  midst  of  Israel  false  prophets  deluded  the  people  with 
their  false  messages.  The  rebellious  spirit  against  the  Lord 
was  fostered  by  these  men  and  the  threatening  judgments 
announced  by  Jeremiah  and  by  Ezekiel  were  not  believed 
by  the  mass  of  the  people.  Of  them  we  read  elsewhere: 
"Thy  prophets  have  seen  vain  and  foolish  things  for  thee, 
and  they  have  not  discovered  thine  iniquity,  to  turn  away 
thy  captivity,  but  have  seen  for  thee  false  burdens  and 
causes  of  banishment"  (Lam.  ii:14).  Believing  the  false 
messages  the  people  said,  "The  days  are  prolonged,  and  every 
vision  faileth."  Had  they  really  believed  that  the  days 
were  not  to  be  prolonged  and  that  the  vision  of  judgment 
upon  Jerusalem  was  about  to  be  accomplished,  they  would 


12  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

have  surely  turned  to  the  Lord  and  cried  to  Him  for  mercy. 
Unbelief  was  responsible  for  their  condition,  and  in  that 
unbelief  they  were  sustained  by  the  lying  prophets.  In  the 
next  chapter  the  Prophet  utters  his  God-given  denunciation 
of  these  false  prophets  and  prophetesses. 

All  this  is  present  with  us  to-day.  Blinded  Israel  then 
did  not  believe  what  the  Lord  had  spoken.  They  thought 
themselves  secure,  that  the  days  would  be  prolonged  and 
that  the  visions  had  failed.  It  is  so  to-day.  The  Spirit 
of  God  has  predicted  this  for  the  end  of  the  present  age: 
"Knowing  this  first,  that  there  shall  come  in  the  last  days 
scoffers,  walking  after  their  own  lusts,  and  saying,  Where 
is  the  promise  of  his  coming.^  for  since  the  fathers  fell  asleep 
all  things  continue  as  they  were  from  the  beginning  of  the 
creation"  (2  Peter  iii:3-4).  This  is  the  spirit  to-day  which 
has  permeated  the  larger  part  of  the  professing  church. 
What  God  has  said  concerning  the  future,  the  Coming  again 
of  His  Son  to  judge  the  world  in  righteousness  is  either 
ignored  or  rejected,  while  many  even  ridicule  these  great 
predictions.  It  is  the  popular  opinion  that  our  age  is  con- 
stantly getting  better,  they  dream  of  world-peace,  great 
advancement  and  prosperity.  That  God  has  written  a 
different  program  in  His  Word  revealed  by  the  Prophets 
of  God  in  visions  and  confirmed  by  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles 
is  completely  forgotten.  And  this  setting  aside  of  the  Word 
of  Prophecy  has  produced  in  Christendom  similar  conditions 
to  those  in  unbelieving  Israel.  And  there  are  others  who 
assent  in  a  measure  to  the  visions  of  the  Prophets  concerning 
things  to  come,  but  they  are  unconcerned  about  it.  It  has 
no  meaning  for  them.  Like  Israel  they  say,  "The  vision  that 
he  seeth  is  for  many  days  to  come  and  he  prophesieth  of 
the  times  that  are  afar  off"  (verse  27).  It  reminds  us  of 
the  language  of  the  evil  servant  who  said,  "My  lord  delayeth 
his  coming." 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  M 

But  what  was  God's  answer?  He  would  end  this  false 
hope  and  false  security.  The  lying  proverb  which  the  false 
prophets  had  them  inspired  to  use  would  be  changed  into 
another.  "The  days  are  at  hand  and  the  effect  of  every 
vision."  All  false  visions,  false  divinations  and  false  hopes 
which  had  become  so  widespread  among  Israel  were  to  cease, 
for  the  burden  of  true  Prophecy  would  now  be  fulfilled. 
Then  solemnly  He  declared  that  His  Word  was  to  be  done. 
The  Word  which  He  spoke  would  come  to  pass.  Even  so 
every  word  which  the  Prophets  had  spoken  concerning  the 
judgment  of  Jerusalem,  the  devastation  of  the  land  and  the 
dispersion  of  the  people  came  to  pass. 

May  we  remember  that  when  the  world  says  "Peace  and 
safety,"  then  sudden  destruction  shall  come  upon  them 
(1  Thess.  v:l-5).  The  world  and  an  apostate  church  may 
dream  of  peace  and  safety,  sneer  at  divine  interference  in 
mighty  judgments,  laugh  at  a  second,  visible  and  glorious 
coming  of  the  same  Lord  who  died  and  was  raised  from  the 
dead,  ridicule  the  establishment  of  His  great  kingdom  on 
this  earth  and  say  every  vision  faileth — yet  we  know  that 
the  vision  will  not  fail.  What  God  has  spoken  will  be  done. 
The  vision  may  yet  be  for  an  appointed  time,  but  at  the  end 
it  shall  speak  and  not  lie;  though  it  tarry,  wait  for  it;  because 
it  will  surely  come;  it  will  not  tarry  (Hab.  ii:3).  "Say  unto 
them,  The  days  are  at  hand."  This  was  God's  message  to  a 
people  deceived  by  false  hopes  of  peace.  And  may  this  not 
be  the  Lord's  message  to  us  in  these  dark  and  solemn  days, 
when  the  clouds  of  judgment  are  gathering,  the  days  are  at 
hand.^  May  we  as  the  children  of  light  and  of  the  day 
wait  for  the  fulfilment  of  the  vision.  It  will  surely  come 
and  not  tarry. 


84  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

THE    MESSAGE   AGAINST   THE   FALSE   PROPHETS 
AND  PROPHETESSES. 

Chapter  xiii.  * 

The  message  which  follows  the  preceding  one  on  the 
certainty  of  the  doom  of  Jerusalem  is  directed  against  the 
false  prophets  and  prophetesses  who  were  at  work  among 
the  people,  and  who  antagonized  the  God-given  utterances 
of  the  true  messengers  of  the  Lord.  These  men  and  women 
may  well  be  termed  the  curse  of  Israel,  because  all  they  did 
was  a  curse  to  the  people.  Their  words  inspired  the  rebel- 
lious people  with  a  false  hope  and  kept  them  from  turning 
to  the  Lord  in  true  repentance.  They  advocated  a  national 
alliance  of  Israel  with  Egypt  and  other  empires,  while  the 
true  prophets  exhorted  Israel  to  put  their  confidence  exclu- 
sively in  the  Lord.  The  false  prophets  paid  no  heed  to  the 
moral  and  religious  conditions  of  the  people  of  God.  They 
saw  nothing  alarming  in  the  drift  away  from  God,  in  the 
increasing  immoralities,  but  in  view  of  all  this  they  continued 
to  cry  peace,  peace;  but  the  true  prophets  sounded  the 
alarm  and  without  mincing  words  uncovered  the  degenerat- 
ing conditions  of  the  people. 

I.   The  Ealse  Prophets:  their  Guilt  and  Condemnation. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man 
prophesying  against  the  prophets  of  Israel  that  prophesy,  and  say 
thou  unto  them  that  prophesy  out  of  their  own  hearts,  Hear  ye 
the  word  of  the  Lord;  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  ¥.'oe  unto  the 
foolish  prophets,  that  follow  their  own  spirit,  and  have  seen  nothing! 
O  Israel,  thy  prophets  are  like  the  foxes  in  the  deserts.  Ye  have 
not  gone  up  into  the  gaps,  neither  made  up  the  hedge  for  the  house 
of  Israel  to  stand  in  the  battle  in  the  day  of  the  Lord.  They  have 
seen  vanity  and  lying  divination,  saying,  Tlie  Lord  saith:  and  the 
Lord  hath  not  sent  them:  and  they  have  made  others  to  hope  that 
they  would  confirm  the  word.  Have  ye  not  seen  a  vain  vision, 
and  have  ye  not  spoken  a  lying  divination,  whereas  ye  say.  The 
Lord  saith  it,  albeit  I  have  not  spoken.?  (verses  1-7). 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  85 

The  first  charge  brought  against  the  false  prophets  Is 
that  they  prophesy  out  of  their  own  hearts.  It  has  been 
also  translated  "who  prophesy  from  their  own  mind  with- 
out having  seen."  Here  we  ha\'e  a  divine  definition  of  the 
false  prophets  in  a  very  concise  form.  Their  words  came 
out  of  their  own  hearts,  they  were  not  founded  upon  the 
vision  of  the  Lord,  the  message  He  gives  by  His  Spirit,  but 
the  product  of  their  own  minds.  They  gave  expression  to 
the  thoughts  of  their  own  darkened  hearts  and  paid  no 
heed  whatever  to  the  revelation  of  God.  And  here  let  us  be 
reminded  of  what  is  written  in  the  New  Testament  con- 
cerning the  same  class  of  men  who  are  predicted  to  appear 
especially  at  the  close  of  the  present  age,  doing  a  work  in 
Christendom  which  fully  corresponds  to  the  work  of  these 
false  prophets  in  Jeremiah's  and  Ezekiel's  day.  "But  there 
were  false  prophets  also  among  the  people  (Israel),  even  as 
there  shall  be  false  teachers  among  you,  who  privily  shall 
bring  in  damnable  heresies,  even  denying  the  Lord  that 
bought  them,  and  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction. 
And  many  shall  follow  their  pernicious  ways,  by  reason  of 
whom  the  way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken  of"  (2  Peter 
Ii:l-2).  Jude  in  his  Epistle  gives  a  more  complete  picture 
of  them.  He  speaks  of  these  false  teachers  of  Christendom 
as  "speaking  evil  of  those  things  which  they  know  not,  but 
what  they  know  naturally  (as  natural  men,  unregenerated) 
as  brute  beasts,  in  those  things  they  corrupt  themselves" 
(verse  10).  "Their  mouth  speaketh  great  swelling  words 
(a  divine  definition  of  modern  day  'pulpit  oratory'),  having 
men's  persons  in  admiration  because  of  advantage"  (verse 
16).  They  were  mockers  who  walk  after  their  own  lusts; 
having  not  the  Spirit  (verse  19).  The  Apostle  Paul  speaks 
of  them  as  wolves  (Acts  xx:29)  and  our  Lord  warned  of 
them.     "Beware  of  false  Prophets,  which  come  to  you  in 


86  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

sheep's  clothing,  but  inwardly  they  are  ravening  wolves" 
(Matt.  vii:15). 

And  such  false  teachers,  men  who  pose  as  religious  leaders, 
are  doing  their  dreadful  and  delusive  work  throughout  the 
professing  church.  Every  man  who  prophesies  out  of  his 
own  heart,  who  utters  his  own  mind,  whose  teaching  and 
preaching  is  not  according  to  the  oracles  of  God,  who  pays 
no  heed  to  what  the  Lord  has  said  is  a  false  prophet.  And 
such  abound  in  the  closing  days  of  the  church  on  earth. 
Hundreds  of  men  who  are  accredited  religious  teachers 
ignore  the  visions  of  God,  have  no  heart  and  no  ear  for  what 
the  Lord  has  revealed,  yea,  more  than  that,  they  reject  the 
inspiration  and  revelation  of  the  Word  of  God  and  in  its 
place  preach  and  teach  the  opinions  of  their  own  corrupt 
and  darkened  minds  and  the  traditions  of  men.  A  true 
prophet  of  God  and  a  true  leader  is  altogether  subject  to 
the  Word  of  God.  His  one  business  is  to  expound  the  Word 
of  God.  He  speaks  as  the  oracles  of  God.  He  does  what 
is  written  in  2  Cor.  x:5:  "Casting  down  imaginations  (the 
working  of  the  mind  apart  from  the  Word  of  God)  and  every 
high  thing  that  exalteth  itself  against  the  knowledge  of  God, 
and  bringing  into  captivity  every  thought  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ."  The  Apostle  Paul  is  a  perfect  example  of  such 
a  true  mouthpiece  of  the  Lord.  Naturally  gifted  with 
a  keen  mind,  learned  and  cultured,  yet  he  wrote  to  the 
Corinthians,  "And  I,  brethren,  when  I  come  to  you,  came 
not  with  excellency  of  speech  or  of  wisdom,  declaring  unto 
you  the  testimony  of  God.  For  I  determined  not  to  know 
anything  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified" 
— "And  my  speech  and  my  preaching  was  not  with  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  in  demonstration  of  the  Spirit 
and  of  power"  (1  Cor.  ii:l-4). 

And  like  the  false  prophets  among  Israel  the  false  prophets 
and  teachers  in  Christendom  are  responsible  for  the  deplor- 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  87 

able  conditions  of  the  professing  people  of  God.  Instead 
of  sounding  God's  warning  they  cover  up  and  lead  the  peo- 
ple into  the  dark,  where  they  are  themselves.  The  respon- 
sibilities of  those  men  who  deny  the  authority  of  the  Bible, 
who  prophesy  out  of  their  own  hearts  is  far  greater  than 
any  pen  can  describe. 

And  what  else  did  the  Lord  say  about  them  in  Ezekiel's 
message.''  "They  have  seen  vanity  and  lying  divination, 
saying,  The  Lord  saith,  and  the  Lord  hath  not  sent  them." 
Here  is  the  root  of  the  matter.  The  Lord  never  sent  them; 
He  never  called  them  into  the  office  of  a  prophet  or  teacher. 
They,  are  self-called  and  self-sent.  Being  therefore  not  the 
chosen  instruments  of  the  Lord,  knowing  not  His  Word  nor 
obeying  His  Spirit,  they  become  the  instruments  of  "lying 
divination."  Behind  their  messages  of  a  false  hope  and 
false  peace  stands  the  father  of  lies.  1  Kings  xxii:19-23 
throws  important  light  upon  this.  It  was  a  lying  spirit  who 
possessed  the  false  prophets  in  Ahab's  times.  Even  so  it 
is  predicted  of  the  last  days  that  the  people  will  give  heed  to 
seducing  spirits  and  doctrines  of  demons  (1  Tim.  iv:l). 

Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  ye  have  spoken 
vanity,  and  seen  lies,  therefore,  behold,  I  am  against  you,  saith 
the  Lord  God.  And  mine  hand  shall  be  upon  the  prophets  that  see 
vanity  and  that  divine  lies;  they  shall  not  be  in  the  assembly  of  my 
people,  neither  shall  they  be  written  in  the  writing  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  neither  shall  they  enter  into  the  land  of  Israel;  and  ye 
shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  God.  Because,  even  because  they 
have  seduced  my  people,  saying,  Peace;  and  there  was  no  peace; 
and  one  built  up  a  wall,  and,  lo,  others  daubed  it  with  untempered 
mortar:  Say  unto  them  which  daub  it  with  untempered  mortar, 
that  it  shall  fall:  there  shall  be  an  overflowing  shower;  and  ye, 
O  great  hailstones,  shall  fall;  and  a  stormy  wind  shall  rend  it. 
Lo,  when  the  wall  is  fallen,  shall  it  not  be  said  unto  you,  Where 
is  the  daubing  wherewith  ye  have  daubed  it.  Therefore  thus  saith 
the  Lord  God;  I  will  even  rend  it  with  a  stormy  wind  in  my  fury; 
and  there  shall  be  an  overflowing  shower  in  mine  anger,  and  great 


88  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

hailstone  in  my  fury,  to  consume  it.  So  will  I  break  down  the 
wall  that  ye  have  daubed  with  untempered  mortar,  and  bring  it 
down  to  the  ground,  so  that  the  foundation  thereof  shall  be  dis- 
covered, and  it  shall  fall,  and  ye  shall  be  consumed  in  the  midst 
thereof,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  Thus  will  I  ac- 
complish my  wrath  upon  the  wall,  and  upon  them  that  have  daubed 
it  with  untempered  mortar  and  will  say  unto  you:  The  wall  is  no 
more,  neither  they  that  daubed  it;  to  wit  the  prophets  of  Israel 
which  prophesy  concerning  Jerusalem,  and  which  see  visions  of 
peace  for  them,  and  there  Is  no  peace  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses 
8-16). 

And  next  the  message  pronounces  the  condemnation  and 
punishment  of  these  false  prophets.  The  Lord  is  against 
them.  His  hand  is  to  be  upon  them  for  punishment.  Three 
things  are  mentioned  in  which  their  punishment  is  going  to 
consist:  they  are  to  be  excluded  from  the  assembly  of 
God's  people;  they  will  be  outcasts  like  lepers  and  such 
they  were;  their  names  are  not  to  be  mentioned  in  the 
writings  of  Israel;  their  memory  will  be  blotted  out,  their 
names  forgotten;  finally  they  were  not  to  enter  into  the 
land  of  Israel.  This  is  not  too  severe  if  one  thinks  of  the 
souls  these  false  prophets  destroyed  and  the  wicked  work 
they  did,  for  it  is  wickedness  to  reject  the  Word  of  God  and 
substitute  for  it  human  inventions. 

A  more  solemn  word  is  pronounced  in  the  New  Testatment 
against  those  who  continue  in  Christendom  the  pernicious 
and  deceiving  work  of  these  false  teachers.  It  is  written, 
"If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of  God,  him  shall  God  destroy; 
for  the  temple  of  God  is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are"  (1  Cor. 
iii:17).  That  is,  believers  constitute  the  temple  of  God, 
that,  is,  the  church.  The  church  has  for  its  foundation  the 
Truth  of  God,  the  doctrine  of  Christ.  A  rejection  of  the 
doctrine  of  Christ,  so  common  in  our  day,  defiles  this  spir- 
itual temple  of  God.  It  is  the  worst  profanation.  And  the 
false  leader  with  his  work  corrupts  the  best,  the  holiest. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  89 

"Him  shall  God  destroy!"  May  God's  people  heed  the  warn- 
ing to  have  no  fellowship  with  such  who  as  hirelings  do  the 
work  of  false  prophets. 

And  these  false  prophets  seduced  the  people.  The  de- 
lusion consisted  in  saying,  Peace,  and  there  was  no  peace. 
This  is  a  characteristic  of  those  who  follow  not  God's  reve- 
lation but  their  own  hearts.  While  God  has  threatened  a 
world  which  lieth  in  the  wicked  one,  an  age  which  is  evil 
and  which  never  can  be  anything  but  evil,  with  judgments 
to  come,  they  preach  peace  and  safety. 

He  describes  them  as  building  a  wall  and  then  putting  some 
untempered  stuff,  a  whitewash,  upon  the  wall.  The  wall 
is  for  defence.  They  invented  all  kinds  of  schemes  and 
policies,  political,  religious  and  religious-political.  This 
was  done  to  sustain  their  false  messages  and  false  hopes. 
Then  to  hide  the  defects,  they  whitewashed  their  walls,  they 
glazed  it  over  with  nice  and  high  sounding  phrases.  Such 
is  the  case  to-day.  Oh!  the  schemes,  the  religious-political 
combinations  which  are  used  to  accomplish  certain  ends 
which  are  nowhere  authorized  by  the  Word  of  God.  And 
the  whitewash,  the  enticing,  beautiful  words  which  are  used 
to  cover  it  over  and  make  it  appear  as  being  secure!  And 
Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  say  to  these  whitewashers,  "It 
shall  fall!"  A  great  storm  with  wind  and  flood  would  strike 
it  and  the  wall,  the  schemes  and  inventions  of  men  were  to 
collapse  (see  Matt.  vii:26-27).  Even  so  the  judgment  came 
upon  Jerusalem  and  the  land  of  Israel  and  swept  away  the 
false  prophets  and  what  they  had  built  up.  Another  judg- 
ment will  sweep  over  Christendom  and  sweep  away  the 
"destructive  critics,"  the  false  teachers  and  leaders  of  delu- 
sive movements  which  flourish  everywhere.  Then  the  divine 
mockery:  "Lo,  when  the  wall  is  fallen,  shall  it  not  be  said 
unto  you,  where  is  the  daubing  wherewith  ye  have  daubed 
it.^"  (verse  12).     When  God  fulfills  His  predictions  written 


90  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

in  the  Word,  when  a  boasting,  Christless  civilization,  an 
apostate  church  are  engulfed  in  the  judgment  with  which 
this  present  age  ends,  where  will  be  the  nice  sounding  white- 
wash of  the  false  prophets? 

n.    The  False  Prophetesses. 

Likewise,  thou  son  of  man,  set  thy  face  against  the  daughters  of 
thy  people,  which  prophesy  out  of  their  own  heart;  and  prophesy 
thou  against  them.  And  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Woe  to 
the  wom.en  that  sew  pillows  to  all  armholes,  and  make  veils  for  the 
head  of  every  stature  to  hunt  souls!  Will  ye  hunt  the  souls  of  my 
people,  and  will  ye  save  the  souls  alive  that  come  unto  you?  And 
will  ye  pollute  me  among  my  people  for  handfuls  of  barley  and  for 
pieces  of  bread,  to  slay  the  souls  that  should  not  die,  and  to  save  the 
souls  alive  that  should  not  live,  by  your  lying  to  my  people  that 
hear  your  lies?  Wherefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I 
am  against  your  pillows,  wherewith  ye  there  hunt  the  souls  to  make 
them  fly,  and  I  will  tear  them  from  your  arms,  and  will  let  the  souls 
go,  even  the  souls  that  ye  hunt  to  make  them  fly.  Your  veils  also 
will  I  tear,  and  deliver  my  people  out  of  j'our  hand,  and  they  shall 
be  no  more  in  your  hand  to  be  hunted;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord.  Because  with  lies  ye  have  made  the  heart  of  the 
righteous  sad,  whom  I  have  not  made  sad;  and  strengthened  the 
hands  of  the  wicked,  that  he  should  not  return  from  his  wicked 
way  by  promising  him  life:  Therefore  ye  shall  see  no  more  vanity, 
nor  divine  divinations:  for  I  v,ill  deliver  my  people  out  of  your 
hand,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses  17-23). 

And  there  were  false  women  prophets  among  Israel  like- 
mse.  This  is  a  significant  fact.  Women  became  religious 
leaders  and  teachers  in  the  days  of  Jerusalem's  downfall 
and  the  worst  degradation  followed  upon  that.  They  also 
prophesied  out  of  their  own  hearts  and  added  other  wicked 
things  to  it.  They  sewed  pillows  upon  all  elbows  and  made 
veils  for  the  head  to  hunt  for  souls.  This  has  been  inter- 
preted in  different  ways.  It  means  that  they  used  amulets, 
little  idol  images  and  other  things  by  which  they  practised 
the  so-called  divination—  the  soothsaying.     It  is  sorcery  t© 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  91 

which  these  women  prophets  gave  themselves  up.  The 
veils  which  they  used  were  to  give  to  it  a  priestly  air  of 
mysticism.  They  practised  the  sinister  art  of  magic,  or 
as  we  call  it  nowadays,  occultism.  It  was  witchcraft, 
this  binding  on  of  pillows  and  other  things.  This  they 
did  for  hire  and  to  slay  souls  which  should  not  be  slain  and 
to  sustain  the  wicked  in  their  wickedness.  Here  is  also  un- 
doubtedly a  hint  about  their  wicked  incantations,  the  spells 
they  claimed  to  cast  that  the  innocent  souls  should  die  and 
the  guilty  should  live.  But  the  Prophet  declares  now  that 
the  Lord  will  deal  with  them,  expose  their  wicked  practises, 
tear  off  their  devices  and  deliver  His  people  out  of  the  snare. 

All  this  is  also  done  in  the  very  midst  of  Christendom  in 
the  twentieth  century.  Women  prophets,  the  most  subtle 
instruments  of  Satan,  are  plentiful  in  these  days.  The  fact 
has  often  been  pointed  out  that  the  prominent  leaders  in 
the  evil  cults  of  the  last  days  are  women.  There  has  been 
a  strange  modern  day  revival  of  occult  practices  upon  Chris- 
tian ground.  Spiritualism,  Theosophy  and  Christian  Sci- 
ence belong  to  this  class.  All  three  started  with  women. 
Spiritualism  with  its  mediums,  fortune-tellers  and  necro- 
mancers is  almost  entirely  in  the  hands  of  women,  who  claim 
to  be  religious  leaders.  The  same  is  true  of  Theosophy, 
with  its  Hindu  philosophy  and  occultism,  surrounded  with 
an  air  of  unholy  mysticism.  Christian  Science  is  closely 
related  to  these  two  cults.  Its  founder  practised  for  x 
time  the  calling  of  a  medium. 

Significant  is  the  description  of  the  work  of  these  false 
prophets  and  prophetesses  in  verse  22:  "Because  with  lies 
ye  have  made  the  heart  of  the  righteous  sad,  whom  I  have 
not  made  sad;  and  strengthened  the  hands  of  the  wicked, 
that  he  should  not  return  from  his  wicked  way,  by  promising 
him  life."  The  righteous  in  Israel  were  saddened  by  their 
evil  work.     To  the  wicked  they  promised  life,  that  there  was 


92  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

no  future  punishment  for  their  sins.     Hence  the  wicked  con- 
tinued in  his  wickedness. 

And  is  the  work  of  the  false  teachers,  the  false  women- 
cults,  any  different.^  The  righteous  are  saddened.  Each 
one  of  the  false  teachers  and  movements  like  Spiritualism, 
Theosophy,  Russellism,  Christian  Science  and  others  deny 
the  eternal  punishment  of  the  wicked.  They  strengthen  the 
hands  of  the  wicked  by  promising  him  life. 

THE  MESSAGE  AGAINST  THE  IDOLATROUS  ELDERS. 
Chapter  xiv. 

The  elders  now  appear  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  through 
the  prophet  (verse  3;  xx:l).  Though  the  prophet  had 
faithfully  uttered  the  messages  of  judgment  and  impending 
doom  and  the  people  and  their  leaders  had  heard  them,  yet 
would  they  inquire  of  the  Lord.  The  Word,  the  Lord  had 
sent  to  them,  they  rejected  and  now  they  expected  some 
new  kind  of  a  message.  When  these  inquiring  elders  were 
in  the  presence  of  Ezekiel,  the  Word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
him.  This  chapter  contains  two  sections;  each  is  intro- 
duced by  the  statement,  "And  the  Word  of  the  Lord  came 
unto  me." 

I.   The  Idolatrous  Elder.    The  Call  to  Repentance. 

Then  came  certain  of  the  elders  of  Israel  unto  me,  and  sat  before 
me.  And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
these  men  have  set  up  their  idols  in  their  heart,  and  put  the 
stumbling-block  of  their  iniquity  before  their  face:  should  I  be  en- 
quired of  at  all  by  them.''  Therefore  speak  unto  them,  and  say 
unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Every  man  of  the  house  of 
Israel  that  settetli  up  his  idols  in  !iis  heart,  and  putteth  the 
stumbling-block  of  his  iniquity  before  his  face,  and  com.eth  to  the 
prophet;  I  the  Lord  v/ill  answer  him  that  cometh  according  to  the 
multitude  of  his  idols;  That  I  may  take  the  house  of  Israel  in  their 
own  heart,  because  they  are  all  estranged  from  me  through  their 
idols.     Therefore  say  unto  the  house  of  Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  93 

God;  Repent,  and  turn  yourselves  from  your  idols;  aud  turn  away 
your  faces  from  all  your  abominations.  For  every  one  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  or  of  the  stranger  that  sojourneth  in  Israel,  which  sep- 
aratcth  himself  from  me,  and  setteth  up  his  idols  in  his  heart,  and 
putteth  the  stumblingblock  of  his  iniquity  before  his  face,  and 
Cometh  to  a  prophet  to  enquire  of  him  concerning  me;  I  the  Lord 
will  answer  him  by  myself.  And  I  will  set  my  face  against  that  man, 
and  will  make  him  a  sign  and  a  proverb,  and  I  will  cut  him  off 
from  the  midst  of  my  people;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord. 
And  if  the  prophet  be  deceived  when  he  hath  spoken  a  thing, 
I  the  Lord  have  deceived  that  prophet,  and  I  will  stretch  out  my 
hand  upon  him,  and  will  destroy  him  from  the  midst  of  my  people 
Israel.  And  thay  shall  bear  the  punishment  of  their  iniquity: 
the  punishment  of  the  prophet  shall  be  even  as  the  punishment  of 
him  that  seeketh  unto  him;  That  the  house  of  Israel  may  go  no  more 
astray  from  me,  neither  be  polluted  any  more  with  all  their  trans- 
gressions; but  that  they  may  be  my  people,  and  I  may  be  their 
God,  saith  the  Lord  God     (verses  l-ll). 

These  inquiring  elders  with  wickedness  in  their  hearts, 
give  another  illustration  of  the  depth  of  degradation  in 
which  the  people  had  sunken.  He  who  searches  the  hearts 
knew  what  was  in  them.  Thej^  came  with  pious,  religious 
pretensions.  It  sounded  well  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  and 
seek  the  prophet-priest  for  that  purpose.  Their  hearts 
were  full  of  evil.  While  their  lips  spoke  of  asking  the  Lord, 
their  hearts  w«re  full  of  idolatry.  They  liked  idolatry. 
Their  hearts  were  in  it  and  this  stumbling-block  of  their 
iniquity  they  had  put  before  their  faces,  which  means  they 
openly  defied  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  by  their  doings.  "Should 
I  be  inquired  of  at  all  by  them.'"'  To  seek  the  Lord  and 
inquire  of  Him  in  such  a  condition  reveals  a  brazen  spirit 
and  the  deepest  depravity.  Yet  this  also  belongs  to  the 
conditions  in  which  the  professing  people  of  God  are  when 
judgment  overtakes  them.  We  see  much  of  it  in  our  own 
days.  There  is  a  great  deal  of  so-called  religious  exercise 
and  activity,  attempts  to  produce  more  "religiousness,"  as  it 


94  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

is  termed.  There  is,  however,  no  real  heart-turning  to  the 
Lord,  but  the  idols  are  kept  in  heart  and  life.  "If  I  regard 
iniquity  in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  me"  (Ps.  lxvi:18). 
Then  the  Lord  tells  them  through  the  prophet,  "I,  the  Lord, 
will  answer  him  that  cometh  according  to  the  multitude 
of  their  idols;  that  I  may  take  the  house  of  Israel  in  their 
own  heart  because  they  are  all  estranged  from  me  through 
their  idols."  Estranged  from  Jehovah  through  idols;  this 
■  described  the  spiritual  condition  of  these  certain  elders 
and  the  people.  If  God's  people  do  not  give  the  Lord  the 
place  of  pre-eminence  and  follow  Him  wholly  they  become 
estranged  from  Him.  And  such  is  the  condition  of  thousands 
of  professing  Christians  who  walk  in  a  carnal  way,  who 
follow  their  idols  instead  of  the  Lord  and  who  still  maintain 
an  outward  religiousness.  Then  foUov/s  the  call  to  repen- 
tance. "Repent  and  turn  yourselves  from  your  idols." 
Next  is  the  announcement  that  the  Lord  Himself  will  deal 
with  such  miserable  hypocrites.  He  will  answer  the  unre- 
penting,  idol  follower,  who  separates  himself  from  the  Lord. 
No  true  prophet  of  Jehovah  would  certainly  encourage  the 
men  who  inquire  of  the  Lord  and  have  evil  in  their  hearts, 
for  fellowship  with  Jehovah  is  impossible  for  such. 

The  ninth  verse  states  more  than  a  possibility.  "And 
if  the  prophet  be  deceived  when  he  hath  spoken  a  thing, 
I,  the  Lord,  have  deceived  the  prophet,  and  I  will  stretch 
out  my  hand  upon  him,  and  I  will  destroy  him  from  the 
midst  of  my  people  Israel."  As  we  learned  in  the  previous 
prophetic  message  that  such  deceiving  prophets  were  in 
abundance  among  Israel.  They  were  the  curse  of  the 
nation.  Little  did  they  care  about  the  spiritual  condition 
of  the  people.  They  prophesied  for  filthy  lucre's  sake  and 
lived  in  sin  like  the  rest  of  the  apostates.  To  them  people 
came  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  and  the  deceiving  prophets 
prophesied    smooth    things.      But   the   Lord    Himself   as    a 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  95 

judgment  had  deceived  their  prophets  to  ripen  the  people 
for  the  deserved  doom.  It  is  the  same  what  Micaiah 
declared  in  the  presence  of  King  Jehosaphat  and  King 
Ahab  (1  Kings  xxii:13-23).  The  four  hundred  prophets  of 
Ahab  were  possessed  by  a  lying  spirit. 

II.     Judgment  is  Unavoidable. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  to  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  when 
the  land  sinneth  against  me  by  trespassing  grievously,  then  will  I 
stretch  out  mine  hand  upon  it,  and  will  break  the  staff  of  the  bread 
thereof,  and  will  send  famine  upon  it,  and  will  cut  off  man  and  beast 
from  it:  Though  these  three  men,  Noah,  Daniel  and  Job,  were  in 
it,  they  should  deliver  but  their  own  souls  by  their  righteousness, 
saith  the  Lord  God.  If  I  cause  noisome  beasts  to  pass  through  the 
land,  and  they  spoil,  it,  so  that  it  be  desolate,  that  no  man  may  pass 
through  because  of  the  beasts:  Though  these  three  men  were  in  it, 
as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  they  shall  deliver  neither  sons  nor 
daughters;  they  only  shall  be  delivered,  but  the  land  shall  be 
desolate.  Or  if  I  bring  a  sword  upon  that  land,  and  say.  Sword, 
go  through  the  land;  so  that  I  cut  off  man  and  beast  from  it: 
Though  these  three  men  were  in  it,  as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
they  shall  deliver  neither  sons  nor  daughters,  but  they  only  shall 
be  delivered  themselves.  Or  if  I  send  a  pestilence  into  that  land, 
and  pour  out  my  fury  upon  it  in  blood,  to  cut  off  from  it  man  and 
beast:  though  Noah,  Daniel  and  Job  were  in  it,  as  I  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God,  they  shall  deliver  neither  son  nor  daughter;  they  shall  but 
deliver  their  own  souls  by  their  righteousness.  For  thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  How  much  more  when  I  send  my  fourscore  judgments 
upon  Jerusalem,  the  sword,  and  the  famine,  and  the  noisome  beast, 
and  the  pestilence,  to  cut  off  from  it  man  and  beast?  Yet,  behold, 
therein  shall  be  left  a  remnant  that  shall  be  brought  forth,  both 
sons  and  daughters:  behold,  they  shall  come  forth  unto  you,  and 
ye  shall  see  their  way  and  their  doings:  and  ye  shall  be  comforted 
concerning  the  evil  that  I  have  brought  upon  Jerusalem,  even 
concerning  all  that  I  have  brought  upon  it.  And  they  shall  see 
their  ways  and  their  doings:  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  have  not  done 
without  cause  all  that  I  have  done  In  it,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  12-23). 

The  Word  of  the  Lord  came  again  to  Ezekiel.    The  pre- 


96  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

viously  announced  judgment  cannot  be  averted,  it  is  una- 
voidable; this  is  the  burden  of  the  second  message  the 
inquiring  elders  heard  from  the  prophet's  lips.  Perhaps 
this  was  on  their  minds  when  they  came  to  the  prophet 
and  sat  in  his  presence.  Famine  is  threatened  first;  it  would 
come  upon  man  and  beast.  Then  the  noisome  beasts 
would  pass  through  the  land,  to  spoil  it  and  make  it  desolate. 
These  beasts  must  not  be  understood  in  the  literal  sense; 
they  symbolize  the  Gentiles,  whom  Daniel  in  his  vision 
saw  also  as  beasts  (Dan.  vii).  These  nations  like  the 
Chaldeans  would  overrun  the  land  and  waste  it.  The  last 
two  judgments  were  to  be  the  sword  (verse  17  and  the 
pestilence  (verse  19).  These  four  sore  judgments  were 
about  to  fall  upon  Jerusalem  and  the  land — famine,  noisome 
beasts,  Gentile  invasion,  the  sword  and  pestilence.  Twice 
in  this  address  Noah,  Daniel  and  Job  are  mentioned.  They 
were  righteous  men,  yet  if  they  were  all  three  in  Jerusalem 
they  would  deliver  only  their  own  souls  by  their  righteous- 
ness, which  was  the  result  of  their  faith  in  and  obedience 
to  Jehovah.  They  were  witnesses  and  men  of  prayer. 
Noah,  the  witness  before  the  great  judgment  by  water 
swept  over  the  earth;  Daniel  even  then  in  Babylon,  and 
Job  of  the  patriarchal  age.  All  their  righteousness,  and 
all  their  witnessing  and  prayers  would  not  help  in  preventing 
these  four  sore  judgments.  Then  there  is  a  gracious  promise 
for  the  rem^nant  which  is  to  be  preserved  in  these  judgments  . 

THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  UNFRUITFUL  VINE 
Chapter  xv. 
The  next  three  chapters  contain  divinely  given  parables. 
The  object  of  these  parables  is  to  expose  still  further  the 
false  hopes  which  the  people  had  during  the  reign  of  Zede- 
kiah,  the  last  King  of  Judah.  He  rebelled  against  King 
Nebuchadnezzar  after  the  second  invasion  (2  Kings  xxiv:20). 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  97 

He  hoped,  and  the  people  with  him,  that  deliverance  would 
come  through  the  alliances  Zedekiah  had  formed  with  Edom, 
Ammon,  Tyre  and  Sidon.  He  also  had  sent  to  Egypt  for 
help.  "But  he  rebelled  against  him  (the  king  of  Babylon) 
in  sending  ambassadors  into  Egypt  that  they  might  give 
him  horses  and  much  people"  (Ezek.  xvii:15).  In  all  this 
Zedekiah  and  the  remnant  of  people  left  in  the  land  despised 
the  Word  of  Jehovah.  Prophet  after  prophet  had  delivered 
the  same  message  concerning  the  ultimate  and  complete 
overthrow  of  Jerusalem.  During  Josiah's  reign  in  the 
midst  of  the  great  reformation-revival,  Hulda  the  prophetess, 
had  given  the  warning,  "I  will  bring  evil  upon  this  place, 
and  upon  the  inhabitants  thereof"  (2  Kings  xxii:16).  The 
great  reformation  could  not  keep  back  the  decreed  judgment. 
Nor  can  any  reformation  movement  in  the  close  of  our  own 
age  avert  the  judgment  which  is  predicted  upon  an  ungodly 
world  and  an  apostate  church.  Josiah's  reign  was  followed 
by  the  reign  of  Jehoiakim,  Jehoiachin  and  Zedekiah.  It 
went  from  bad  to  worse.  Twice  Nebuchadnezzar  had  come 
and  spoiled  Jerusalem.  It  was  evident  that  Jehovah's 
judgment  was  being  gradually  executed  upon  the  land  and  the 
city.  We  have  learned  from  the  preceding  chapters  how 
often  and  in  how  many  different  ways  the  Lord  had  repeated 
through  Ezekiel's  visions  and  utterances  that  the  judgment 
would  surely  do  its  complete  work^  and  that  nothing  would 
be  able  to  arrest  it.  Yet  Zedekiah,  in  the  awful  blindness 
characteristic  of  all  who  deliberately  reject  the  Word  of  God 
and  continue  in  an  impenitent  state,  hoped  for  better  things. 
And  the  exiles  also  shared  more  or  less  this  false  hope. 

Three  parables  were  therefore  given  to  Ezekiel  to  demon- 
strate still  further  the  false  and  vain  hope  and  the  delusion 
that  there  would  be  deliverance.  The  Parable  of  the  un- 
fruitful vine  shows  that  the  nation  was  good  for  nothi  ng, 
and  burning  awaited  the  city.     This  is  followed  by  a  s  ec- 


98  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

ond  parable,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  in  the  Word  of  God: 
the  parable  of  the  abandoned  child  in  the  field.  That  child, 
Jerusalem,  had  bestowed  uponfAall  the  mercy  and  grace 
a  loving  God  could  give.  And  after  all  had  been  done  she 
became  a  wanton  harlot  and  turned  from  Him  who  loved 
her  so  much.  Linked  with  the  second  parable  is  the  res- 
toration promise,  still  unfulfilled.  The  third  parable  is  the 
parable  of  the  great  eagles.  Here  judgment  upon  the  na- 
tion is  once  more  announced.  And  after  that  Ezekiel  spoke 
in  Jehovah's  name  the  final  word:  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord 
God,  surely  in  the  place  v/here  the  king  dwelleth  (Nebu- 
chadnezzar in  Babylon)  that  made  him  king  (Zedekiah  was 
made  king  by  Nebuchadnezzar),  whose  oath  he  despised 
(Zedekiah  had  sworn  to  Nebuchadnezzar  and  then  broke 
the  oath),  even  with  him  in  the  midst  of  Babylon  he  shall 
die."  "And  I  will  spread  my  net  upon  him,  and  he  shall 
be  taken  in  my  snare,  and  I  will  bring  him  to  Babylon,  and 
will  plead  with  him  there  for  his  trespass  that  he  hath 
trespassed  against  me"  (Ezek.  xvii:16,20). 

I.    The  Parable  of  the  Unfruitful  Vine. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
What  Is  the  vine  tree  more  than  any  tree,  or  than  a  branch  which  is 
among  the  trees  of  the  forest.''  Shall  wood  be  taken  thereof  to  do 
any  work,  or  will  men  take  a  pin  of  it  to  hang  any  vessel  thereon.^ 
Behold,  it  is  cast  into  the  fire  for  fuel;  the  fire  devoureth  both  the 
ends  of  it,  and  the  midst  of  it  Is  burned.  Is  it  meet  for  any  work.'' 
Behold,  when  It  was  whole.  It  was  meet  for  no  work:  how  much  less 
shall  it  be  meet  yet  for  any  work,  when  the  fire  hath  devoured  it,and 
it  is  burned.''  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  As  the  vine  tree 
among  the  trees  of  the  forest,  which  I  have  given  to  the  fire  for  fuel, 
so  will  I  give  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  And  I  will  set  my  face 
against  them;  they  shall  go  out  from  one  fire,  and  another  fire  shall 
devour  them;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  set  my 
face  against  them.  And  I  will  make  the  land  desolate,  because  they 
have  committed  a  trespass,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  1-8). 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  99 

The  vine  is  a  type  of  the  people  Israel.  Perhaps  their 
confidence  and  boast  was  in  the  knowledge  that  they  were 
the  vine  of  Jehovah.  Their  false  prophets  may  have  quoted 
the  words  of  Asaph  in  that  beautiful  prayer  addressed  to 
the  Shepherd  of  Israel:  "Thou  hast  brought  a  vine  out 
of  Egypt;  thou  hast  cast  out  the  heathen  and  planted  it. 
Thou  preparedst  room  for  it,  and  didst  cause  it  to  take 
deep  root,  and  it  filled  the  land.  The  hills  were  covered 
with  the  shadow  of  it  and  the  boughs  thereof  were  like  the 
goodly  cedars.  She  sent  out  her  boughs  unto  the  sea,  and 
her  branches  unto  the  river.  Why  hast  thou  then  broken 
down  her  hedges,  so  that  all  they  that  pass  by  the  way  do 
pluck  her.?"  (Psalm  lxxx:8-12).  But  they  forgot  that  judg- 
ment had  been  long  ago  pronounced  against  the  vine  and 
the  vineyard  of  Israel.  Isaiah  has  spoken  of  the  vineyard 
and  what  Jehovah  had  done  for  His  people.  But  the  vine 
brought  forth  wild  grapes.  "And  now  go  to;  I  will  tell 
you  what  I  will  do  to  my  vineyard.  I  will  take  away  the 
hedge  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  eaten  up;  and  will  break  down 
the  wall  thereof,  and  it  shall  be  trodden  down.  And  I 
will  lay  it  waste.  It  shall  not  be  pruned  or  digged;  but 
there  shall  come  up  briers  and  thorns;  I  will  also  command 
the  clouds  that  they  rain  not  upon  it"  (Isaiah  v:l-6).  And 
Hosea,  too,  had  borne  witness  against  the  vine:  "Israel  is 
an  empty  vine,  he  bringeth  forth  fruit  unto  himself;  accord- 
ing to  the  multitude  of  his  fruit  he  hath  increased  the  altars; 
according  to  the  goodness  of  the  land  they  have  made  goodly 
images"  (Hosea  x:l). 

Their  boast  of  being  the  vine  and  vineyard  of  Jehovah 
was  an  idle  one.  Ezekiel's  parable  demonstrates  this.  The 
vine  tree  is  only  good  for  one  thing  and  that  is  the  bearing  of 
fruit.  Apart  from  fruit  bearing  the  vine  is  worthless.  The 
wood  of  it  cannot  be  used  for  anything  whatever.  Is  it 
meet  for  any  work.''    Will  men  take  a  piece  of  it  and  hang  a 


100  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

vessel  thereon?  It  is  good  for  nothing  else  but  to  be  burned 
with  fire.  Cast  into  the  fire  for  fuel  it  is  burned  at  both 
ends  and  in  the  midst.  This  was  to  be  the  certain  fate  of 
Jerusalem.  The  process  of  the  fiery  judgment  consuming 
the  unfruitful  vine  tree  had  already  begun.  "And  I  will 
set  my  face  against  them;  they  shall  go  out  from  one  fire 
and  another  fire  shall  devour  them;  and  ye  shall  know  that 
I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  set  my  face  against  them."  Even 
so  it  came  upon  the  city  when  Nebuchadnezzar  came  against 
Jerusalem  the  third  time.  "And  he  burnt  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  King's  house,  and  all  the  houses  of  Jeru- 
salem, and  every  great  man's  house  burnt  he  with  fire" 
(2  Kings  XXV :9).  And  here  we  must  also  remember  the 
statement  our  Lord  made  in  the  parable  of  the  vine  and 
the  branches.  "If  a  man  abide  not  in  me.  he  is  cast  forth 
as  a  branch,  and  is  withered,  and  men  gather  them,  and 
cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned"  (John  xv:6). 
Some  apply  this  also  to  Israel.  It  means,  however,  the 
professing  believer,  who  in  an  empty  profession  claims  to 
be  a  branch  in  Him  who  is  the  true  vine.  Such  a  one  Is  a 
barren  branch,  good  only  for  burning. 

Our  Lord's  parable  of  the  vineyard  (Matt.  xxi:33,  etc.) 
must  here  likewise  be  considered.  It  brings  together  all 
the  prophets  had  spoken  concerning  Israel  as  the  vine- 
yard, as  well  as  the  crowning  sin  of  the  people,  in  the  re- 
jection and  death  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  the  judgment 
which  came  upon  Jerusalem  and  the  nation. 

But  there  is  a  day  coming  when  the  Lord  will  graciously 
visit  the  vine  again,  when  He  will  have  mercy  upon  Zion. 
Of  this  the  already  quoted  eightieth  Psalm  bears  a  blessed 
testimony. 

The  prayer  of  the  godly  remnant  of  the  Jewish  people  at 
the  close  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  is  pre-written  in  that 
Psalm  by  the  Holy  Spirit.     Let  us  listen  to  it.     "Return 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  101 

we  beseech  thee,  O  God  of  hosts;  look  down  from  heaven, 
and  behold,  and  visit  this  vine  and  the  vineyard  which 
thy  right  hand  hath  planted,  and  the  branch  that  thou 
madest  strong  for  thyself.  It  is  burned  with  fire,  it  is  cut 
down;  they  perish  at  the  rebuke  of  thy  countenance.  Let 
thy  hand  be  upon  the  man  of  thy  right  hand  (the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ),  upon  the  son  of  man,  whom  thou  madest 
strong  for  thyself.  So  will  we  not  go  back  from  thee; 
quicken  us,  and  we  will  call  upon  thv  name"  (Psalm  lxxx:14- 
18). 

THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  ABANDONED  CHILD.    JERU- 
SALEM'S  IDOLATRY.     THE   PROMISES    OF 
RESTORATION. 

Chapter  xvi. 

After  the  parable  of  the  unfruitful  vine  in  which  the  vain 
hope  and  boast  of  Jerusalem  is  briefly  exposed,  another 
parable  was  uttered  by  the  Prophet,  which  more  fully  estab- 
lishes Jerusalem's  great  wickedness.  The  chapter  before 
us  is  one  of  the  greatest  in  the  prophetic  Scriptures.  It 
contains  a  wonderful  history  of  Jerusalem,  past,  present  and 
future,  and  God's  dealings  with  her. 

We  give  first  a  brief  survey  of  this  interesting  chapter 
before  we  take  up  a  more  analytical  study.  The  parable 
of  the  abandoned  child  and  Jehovah's  love  and  mercy  in 
taking  her  up,  saving  the  perishing  one  from  death  and 
bestowing  upon  her  such  gracious  labor  and  gifts,  forms  the 
first  part  of  the  chapter  (verse  1-14).  It  is  a  most  beauti- 
ful description  of  what  Jehovah  had  done  for  Jerusalem. 
After  this,  the  terrible  ingratitude  and  fall  of  Jerusalem  is 
uncovered.  She,  whom  Jehovah  lifted  so  high,  upon  whom 
He  bestowed  such  love  and  grace,  turned  against  Jehovah 
and  became  an  abandoned  prostitute.  The  idolatries  of 
Jerusalem  and  corresponding  moral  degradations  are  vividly 


102  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

pictured  in  this  second  section  of  the  chapter  (verses  15- 
34).  Then  follows  the  announcement  of  the  doom  of  Jeru- 
salem. In  this  third  section  Samaria  and  her  daughters, 
as  well  as  Sodom  and  her  daughters  are  introduced,  and 
their  return  to  the  former  estate  with  Jerusalem  is  announced. 
These  restoration  promises  are  frequently  used  by  teach- 
ers of  the  so-called  "larger  hope,"  who  deny  the  eternal 
punishment  of  the  wicked.  It  is  claimed  that  Sodom  and 
her  daughters,  all  the  inhabitants  of  wicked  Sodom,  who 
perished  in  the  great  judgment,  will  be  raised  from  the  dead 
and  have  another  chance.  We  shall,  in  considering  this 
portion  of  the  chapter  (verses  35-59),  show  the  unscriptural- 
ness  of  this  theory  as  well  as  the  true  meaning  of  the  prom- 
ise. The  fourth  section  (verses  59-63)  promises  the  estab- 
lishment of  Jehovah's  covenant  with  Jerusalem. 

I.  The  Parable  of  the  Abandoned  Child. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
cause  Jerusalem  to  know  her  abominations,  and  say,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God  unto  Jerusalem;  Thy  birth  and  thy  nativity  is  of  the 
land  of  Canaan;  thy  father  was  an  Amorlte,  and  thy  mother  an 
HIttite.  And  as  for  thy  nativity,  in  the  day  thou  wast  born  thy 
navel  was  not  cut,  neither  wast  thou  washed  in  water  to  supple 
thee;  thou  was  not  salted  at  all,  nor  swaddled  at  all.  None  eye 
pitied  thee,  to  do  any  of  these  unto  thee,  to  have  compassion  upon 
thee;  but  thou  wast  cast  out  in  the  open  field,  to  the  loathing  of  thy 
person,  in  the  day  that  thou  wast  born.  And  when  I  passed  by 
thee,  and  saw  thee  polluted  in  thine  own  blood,  I  said  unto  thee 
when  thou  wast  in  thy  blood,  Live;  yea,  I  said  unto  thee  when  thou 
wast  in  thy  blood,  Live.  I  have  caused  thee  to  multiply  as  the  bud 
of  the  field,  and  thou  hast  increased  and  waxen  great,  and  thou  art 
come  to  excellent  ornaments:  thy  breasts  are  fashioned,  and  thine 
hair  is  grown,  whereas  thou  wast  naked  and  bare.  Now  when  I 
passed  by  thee,  and  looked  upon  thee,  behold,  thj-  time  was  the 
time  of  love;  and  I  spread  my  skirt  over  thee,  and  covered  thy 
nakedness;  yea,  I  sware  unto  thee,  and  entered  into  a  covenant 
with  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and  thou  becamest  mine.     Then 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  103 

washed  I  thee  with  water;  yea,  I  thoroughly  washed  away  thy 
blood  from  thee,  and  I  anointed  thee  with  oil.  I  clothed  thee  also 
with  broidered  work,  and  shod  thee  with  badgers'  skin,  and  I 
girded  thee  about  with  fine  linen,  and  I  covered  thee  with  silk, 
I  decked  thee  also  with  ornaments,  and  I  put  bracelets  upon  thy 
hands,  and  a  chain  on  thy  neck.  And  I  put  a  jewel  on  thy  fore- 
head, and  earrings  in  thine  ears,  and  a  beautiful  crown  upon  thine 
head.  Thus  wast  thou  decked  with  gold  and  silver;  and  thy 
raiment  was  of  fine  linen  and  silk  and  broidered  work;  thou  didst 
eat  fine  flour,  and  honey  and  oil;  and  thou  wast  exceeding  beau- 
tiful, and  thou  didst  prosper  into  a  kingdom.  And  thy  renown  went 
forth  among  the  heathen  for  thy  beauty:  for  it  was  perfect  through 
my  comeliness,  which  I  had  put  upon  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  1-14). 

In  the  beginning  of  the  chapter  the  purpose  of  the  parable 
is  stated.  "Son  of  Man,  cause  Jerusalem  to  knovs^  her 
abominations."  To  convict  Jerusalem  of  all  her  guilt  and 
wickedness  the  Lord  shows  first  of  all  what  He  had  done 
for  her.  While  Jerusalem  is  specially  mentioned,  the  para- 
ble has  a  wider  application  to  the  nation  itself.  The  dif- 
ferent dealings  of  the  Lord  with  His  people  can  be  traced 
in  this  beautiful  parable.  First,  Jerusalem's  origin  is  men- 
tioned. "Thy  birth  and  thy  nativity  is  of  the  land  of 
Canaan;  thy  father  was  an  Amorite  and  thy  mother  a  Hlt- 
tite."  This  does  not  mean  Abraham  and  Sarah,  from  which 
the  nation  sprang,  but  it  refers  to  the  origin  of  the  city 
itself,  which  was  Canaanitish.  The  Amorites  were  the 
original  possessors  of  Palestine,  as  we  learn  from  Genesis 
xv:16.  The  name  for  Palestine  in  the  cuneiform  inscrip- 
tions is  "Land  of  the  Amorites."  The  Hittites  are  also 
mentioned  in  Genesis  as  the  inhabitants  of  the  land.  (Gene- 
sis xxiii:3,  10;  xxvii:46).  Thus  Jerusalem  is  described  as 
coming  from  a  base  and  unclean  parentage.  The  Lord  had 
mercy  on  her  whose  condition  was  like  an  abandoned  child 
cast  out  into  an  open  field.  He  passed  by  and  spoke  the 
word,  which  He  alone  could  speak — Live!     Then  He  began 


104  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

His  work  of  mercy.  He  caused  her  to  multiply  as  the  bud 
of  the  field.  He  made  her  to  increase.  He  entered  into  a 
covenant  with  her.  "Yea,  I  swear  unto  thee,  and  entered 
into  a  covenant  with  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and  thou 
becamest  mine."  Furthermore  we  read,  "I  washed  thee 
with  water";  "I  anointed  thee  with  oil";  "I  clothed";  "I 
girded  thee";  "I  covered  thee  with  silk."  Ornaments 
were  bestowed  upon  the  beloved  one.  Bracelets  upon  the 
hands;  a  chain  for  the  neck;  a  jewel  for  the  forehead;  ear- 
rings for  the  ears;  decked  with  gold  and  silver;  arrayed 
in  fine  linen  and  silk  and  broidered  work,  feeding  on  fine 
flour,  honey  and  oil — such  were  Jehovah's  gifts  to  Jerusa- 
lem. A  beautiful  crown  was  put  upon  her  head.  Jerusa- 
lem became  exceedingly  beautiful  and  prospered  into  a 
kingdom.  Her  renown  went  forth  among  the  nations  on 
account  of  her  beauty.  All  this  is  a  striking  allegory  of 
Jehovah's  mercy  to  Jerusalem,  and  the  culmination  refers 
to  the  days  of  the  glorious  kingdom  under  Solomon.  There 
is  no  need  of  applying  every  statement  to  some  historical 
fact  in  the  history  of  Jerusalem  as  it  has  been  attempted 
by  certain  expositors.  The  purpose,  as  already  stated,  is 
to  convict  Jerusalem  of  her  abominations,  and  for  this 
reason  Jehovah's  goodness  to  her  is  so  vividly  described. 
Jehovah  had  done  all  for  her  and  not  a  word  is  said  about 
gratitude  or  love  from  the  side  of  Jerusalem.  All  was  done 
for  her  by  Him.  "It  was  perfect  through  my  comeliness 
(magnificence),  which  I  had  put  upon  thee,  saith  the  Lord 
God." 

And  this  sweet  parable  illustrates,  as  few  other  portions 
in  the  Old  Testament  do,  the  grace  which  the  Lord  bestows 
upon  the  believer  in  the  Gospel.  Thy  father  an  Amorite 
and  thy  mother  a  Hittite  reminds  us  of  what  is  true  of  all 
men,  so  tersely  expressed  in  David's  confession,  "Behold 
I  was  shapen  in  iniquity  and  in  sin  did  my  mother  conceive 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  105 

me"  (Psalm  li:5).  Like  the  child  pictured  in  the  parable, 
we  are  lost,  perishing  in  the  field  (the  world).  What  could 
that  perishing  child  do  to  save  itself?  Even  so  we  cannot 
do  anything  to  save  ourselves.  The  Lord  passing  by  had 
compassion  and  spoke  His  Word  of  power — Live.  He  came 
from  Heaven  to  this  earth,  into  the  field  to  seek  and  save 
what  is  lost.  He  found  man  in  the  vile  and  helpless  con- 
dition so  aptly  pictured  by  the  miserable  child.  And  more 
than  that.  He  died  to  save  man.  He  gave  His  life  so  that 
we  might  live.  The  first  thing  He  does  for  the  believing 
sinner  is  to  give  him  life.  When  the  spiritual  dead  hear 
His  voice  they  live.  The  washing  with  v/ater,  the  anointing 
with  oil  (type  of  the  Holy  Spirit),  the  announcement  "thou 
becamest  mine,"  as  well  as  the  clothing,  the  beautifying  and 
the  crowning,  all  illustrates  what  His  marvelous  grace  does 
for  the  trusting,  believing  sinner.  It  is  all  grace  from  start 
to  finish,  from  the  impartation  of  life  in  the  new  birth  to 
the  crowning  in  glory. 

IL   Jerusalem's  Idolatries  and  Moral  Degradation. 

But  thou  didst  trust  in  thine  own  beauty,  and  playedst  the  harlot 
because  of  thy  renown,  and  pouredst  out  thy  fornications  on  every 
one  that  passed  by;  his  it  was.  And  of  thy  garments  thou  didit 
take,  and  deckedst  thy  high  places  with  divers  colors,  and  playedtt 
the  harlot  thereupon:  the  like  things  shall  not  come,  neither  shall 
it  be  so.  Thou  hast  also  taken  thy  fair  jewels  of  my  gold  and  of  my 
silver,  which  I  had  given  thee,  and  madest  to  thyself  images  of  men, 
and  didst  commit  whoredom  with  them.  And  tookest  thy  broid- 
ered  garments,  and  coveredst  them:  and  thou  hast  set  mine  oil 
and  mine  incense  before  them.  My  meat  also  which  I  gave  thee, 
fine  flour,  and  oil,  and  honey,  wherewith  I  fed  thee,  thou  hast 
even  set  it  before  them  for  a  sweet  savor:  and  thus  it  was,  saith 
the  Lord  God.  Moreover  thou  hast  taken  thy  sons  and  thy 
daughters,  whom  thou  hast  borne  unto  me,  and  these  hast  thou 
sacrificed  unto  them  to  be  devoured.  Is  this  of  thy  whoredoms 
a  small  matter.  That  thou  has  slain  my  children,  and  delivered 
them  to  cause  them  to  pass  through  the  fire  for  them,?    And  in  all 


106  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

thine  abominations  and  tliy  whoredoms  thou  hast  not  remembered 
the  days  of  thy  youth,  when  thou  wast  naked  and  bare,  and  wast 
polluted  in  thy  blood.  And  it  came  to  pass  after  all  thy  wickedness, 
(woe,  woe  unto  thee!  saith  the  Lord  God.)  That  thou  hast  also 
built  unto  thee  an  eminent  place,  and  hast  made  thee  a  high 
place  in  every  street.  Thou  hast  built  thy  high  place  at  every  head 
of  the  way,  and  hast  made  thy  beauty  to  be  abhorred,  and  hast 
opened  thy  feet  to  every  one  that  passed  by,  and  multiplied  thy 
whoredoms.  Thou  hast  also  committed  fornication  with  the 
Egyptians  thy  neighbors,  great  of  flesh;  and  hast  increased  thy 
whoredoms,  to  proboke  me  to  anger.  Behold,  therefore,  I  have 
stretched  out  my  hand  over  thee,  and  have  diminished  thine 
ordinary  food,  and  delivered  thee  unto  the  will  of  them  that  hate 
thee,  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines,  v/hich  are  ashamed  of  thy 
lewd  way.  Thou  hast  played  the  whore  also  with  the  Assyrians, 
because  thou  wast  unsatiable;  yea,  thou  hast  played  the  harlot 
with  them,  and  couldest  not  be  satisfied.  Thou  hast  moreover 
multiplied  thy  fornication  in  the  land  of  Canaan  unto  Chaldea; 
and  yet  thou  wast  not  satisfied  herewith.  How  weak  is  thine 
heart,  saith  the  Lord  God,  seeing  thou  doest  all  these  things, 
the  work  of  an  imperious  whorish  woman;  in  that  thou  buildest 
thine  eminent  place  in  the  head  of  every  way,  and  makest  thine 
high  place  in  every  street;  and  hast  not  been  as  a  harlot,  in  that 
thou  scornest  hire;  but  as  a  wife  that  committeth  adultery,  which 
taketh  strangers  instead  of  her  husband!  They  give  gifts  to  all 
whores:  but  thou  givest  thy  gifts  to  all  thy  lovers,  and  hirest 
them,  that  they  may  come  unto  thee  on  every  side  of  thy  whore- 
dom. And  the  contrary  is  in  thee  from  other  women  in  thy  whore- 
doms, whereas  none  followeth  thee  to  commit  whoredoms:  and  in 
that  thou  givest  a  reward,  and  no  reward  is  given  unto  thee,  there- 
fore thou  art  contrary  (verses  15-34). 

Upon  the  beautiful  background  of  Jehovah's  love  and 
mercy,  there  is  now  written  the  dark  picture  of  Jerusalem's 
whoredoms,  symbolical  of  her  wicked  idolatries.  "But  thou 
didst  trust  in  thine  own  beauty,  and  played  the  harlot 
because  of  thy  renown,  and  pouredst  out  thy  fornications 
on  every  one  that  passed  by;  his  it  was"  (verse  15).  It 
started  all  with  pride.  Jerusalem  did  not  acknowledge  the 
giver,  who  had  made  her  great.     Instead  of  worshipping 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  107 

In  Jehovah's  appointed  way,  they  established  the  "high 
places"  and  conformed  to  all  the  wicked  Canaanitish  prac- 
tices. The  wickedness  of  the  Amorites  and  Hittites,  from 
which  she  came,  were  reproduced  in  her.  Their  little  ones 
were  given  to  Moloch  as  a  sacrifice.  "Moreover  thou  hast 
taken  thy  sons  and  thy  daughters,  whom  thou  hast  borne 
unto  me,  and  these  hast  thou  sacrificed  unto  them  to  be 
devoured.  Is  this  of  thy  whoredoms  a  small  matter,  that 
thou  hast  slain  thy  children,  and  delivered  them  to  pass 
through  the  fire  for  them?"  (verses  20-21).  From  the 
Second  Book  of  Kings  we  learn  that  Ahaz  was  the  first 
king  who  committed  this  atrocity.  "He  made  his  son  pass 
through  the  fire,  according  to  the  abominations  of  the 
heathen  whom  the  Lord  cast  out  from  before  the  children 
of  Israel"  (2  Kings  xvi:3).  And  Manasseh,  the  wicked 
son  of  a  pious  father,  also  followed  the  same  horrible  prac-' 
tice  (2  Kings  xxi:6).  The  historical  books  of  Second  Kings 
and  Second  Chronicles  must  be  read  to  understand  more 
fully  the  symbolical  language  used  by  Ezekiel  and  to  learn 
the  idolatry  and  degradation  of  Jerusalem.  All  Jehovah 
had  given  and  bestowed  upon  her  was  devoted  to  practice 
this  spiritual  fornication.  What  Jehovah  had  done  for 
her  was  forgotten. 

"And  in  all  thine  abominations  and  thy  whoredoms  thou 
hast  not  remembered  the  days  of  thy  youth,  when  thou 
wast  naked  and  bare,  and  wast  polluted  in  thy  blood"  (verse 
22).  But  worse  than  that  followed.  Not  enough  that 
Jerusalem  had  her  high  places  and  revived  the  practices  of 
the  Canaanitish  natives,  she  began  to  have  also  idolatrous 
intercourse  with  the  idol-gods  of  Egypt,  Assyria  and  Chaldea 
(verses  23-34).  She  sought  them  out  and  courted  them 
all  to  increase  her  harlotry.  So  great  became  Jerusalem's 
abominations  that  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines  became 
ashamed  of  her  lewd  way  (verse  27).     And  while  such  was 


108  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

the  religious  degradation  of  Jerusalem  in  following  the  bas- 
est and  most  corrupt  idolatries,  a  corresponding  moral 
degradation  was  linked  with  it.  All  the  rites  of  the  Canaan- 
ites  and  the  other  nations  consisted  in  the  grossest  immor- 
alities. The  most  shameless  and  the  vilest  things  of  the 
flesh  were  practiced  in  the  midst  of  the  idolatrous  city. 
"How  is  the  faithful  city  become  a  harlot!"  (Isaiah  i:21). 
In  the  next  section  the  Lord  addresses  her  by  that  title 
and  once  more  her  judgment  doom  is  announced.  "Where- 
fore,   O  harlot,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord"  (verse  35). 

The  spiritual  adultery  which  characterizes  the  end  of  the 
present  age  is  even  greater  than  that  of  Jerusalem.  The 
apostacy  of  Jerusalem  is  overshadowed  by  the  rising  tide 
of  an  approaching,  final  apostasy  in  which  Satan's  man  and 
masterpiece  will  demand  and  receive  the  worship  which 
belongs  to  the  Lord.  Antichrist,  yet  to  come,  his  shadow 
cast  so  sharply  in  our  days,  will  be  the  consummation  of  the 
greatest  departure  from  God  and  defiance  of  God  the  world 
has  ever  seen.  And  therefore  the  coming  judgment  will 
also  be  greater. 

After  the  beautiful  parable  of  the  abandoned  child,  from 
which  we  learned  Jehovah's  grace  and  mercy  shown  to 
Jerusalem,  and  the  description  of  Jerusalem's  idolatries  and 
moral  degradation,  we  find  her  judgment  doom  announced 
once  more.  In  connection  with  this  the  prophet  beholds 
the  time  when  Sodom  and  her  daughters  and  Samaria  and 
her  daughters,  as  well  as  Jerusalem  and  her  daughters,  will 
return    to   their   former   estate. 

III.  The  Doom  of  Jerusalem  on  account  of  Her  Wicked- 
ness. 

Wherefore,  O  harlot,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord:  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  Because  thy  filthiness  was  poured  out,  and  thy  naked- 
ness discovered  through  thy  whoredoms  with  thy  lovers,  and  with 
all  the  idols  of  thy  abominations,  and  by  the  blood  of  thy  children, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  109 

which  thou  didst  give  unto  them;  Behold,  therefore  I  will  gather  all 
thy  lovers,  with  whom  thou  hast  taken  pleasure,  and  all  them 
that  thou  hast  loved,  nith  all  them  that  thou  hast  hated;  I  will 
even  gather  them  round  about  against  thee,  and  will  discover  thy 
nakedness  unto  them,  that  they  may  see  all  thy  nakedness.  And 
I  will  judge  thee,  as  women  that  break  wedlock  and  shed  bluod  arc 
judged;  and  I  will  give  thee  blood  in  fury  and  jealousy.  And  I 
will  also  give  thee  into  their  hand,  and  they  shall  throw  down  thine 
eminent  place,  and  shall  break  down  thy  high  places:  they  shall 
strip  thee  also  of  thy  clothes,  and  shall  take  thy  fair  jewels,  and 
leave  thee  naked  and  bare.  They  shall  also  bring  up  a  company 
against  thee,  and  they  shall  stone  thee  with  stones,  and  thrust  thee 
through  with  their  swords.  And  they  shall  burn  thine  houses  with 
fire,  and  execute  judgments  upon  thee  in  the  sight  of  many  women: 
and  I  will  cause  thee  to  cease  from  playing  the  harlot,  and  thou 
also  shalt  give  no  hire  any  more.  So  will  I  make  my  fury  toward 
thee  to  rest,  and  my  jealousy  shall  depart  from  thee,  and  I  will  be 
quiet,  and  will  be  no  more  angry.  Because  thou  hast  not  remem- 
bered the  days  of  thy  youth,  but  hast  fretted  me  in  all  these  things; 
behold,  therefore  I  also  v/ill  recompense  thy  way  upon  thine  head, 
saith  the  Lord  God:  and  thou  shalt  not  commit  this  lewdness  above 
all  thine  abominations. 

Behold,  every  one  that  useth  proverbs  shall  use  this  proverb 
against  thee,  saying,  A»  is  the  mother,  so  is  her  daughter.  Thou 
art  thy  mother's  daughter,  that  loatheth  her  husband  and  her 
children;  and  thou  art  the  sister  of  thy  sisters,  which  loathed  their 
husbands  and  their  children:  your  mother  was  an  Hittite,  and  your 
father  an  Amorite.  And  thine  elder  sister  Is  Samaria,  she  and  her 
daughters  that  dwell  at  thy  left  hand:  and  thy  younger  sister,  that 
dwelleth  at  thy  right  hand  is  Sodom  and  her  daughters.  Yet  hast 
thou  not  walked  after  their  ways,  nor  done  after  their  abominations: 
but,  as  if  that  were  a  very  little  thing,  thou  wast  corrupted  more 
than  they  in  all  thy  ways.  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  Sodom 
thy  sister  hath  not  done,  she  nor  her  daughters,  as  thou  hast  done, 
thou  and  thy  daughters.  Behold,  this  was  the  iniquity  of  thy 
sister  Sodom,  pride,  fulness  of  bread,  and  abundance  of  idleness 
was  in  her  and  in  her  daughters,  neither  did  she  strengthen  the  hand 
of  the  poor  and  needy.  And  they  were  haughty,  and  committed 
abomination  before  me:  therefore  I  took  them  away  as  I  saw  good. 
Neither  hath  Samaria  committed  half  of  thy  sins;  but  thou  hast 
multiplied  thine  abominations  more  than  they,  and  hast  justified 


110  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

thy  sisters  in  ail  thine  abominations  which  thou  hast  done.  Thou 
also,  which  hast  judged  th}^  sisters,  bear  thine  own  shame  for  thy 
sins  that  thou  hast  committed  more  abominable  than  they:  they 
are  more  righteous  than  thou:  yea,  be  thou  confounded  also,  and 
bear  thy  shame,  in  that  thou  hast  justified  thy  sisters.  When  I 
shall  bring  again  their  captivity,  the  captivity  of  Sodom  and  her 
daughters,  and  the  captivity  of  Samaria  and  her  daughters,  then 
will  I  bring  again  the  captivity  of  thy  captives  in  the  midst  of  them: 
That  thou  mayest  bear  thine  own  sham.e,  and  mayest  be  confounded 
in  all  that  thou  hast  done,  in  that  thou  art  a  comfort  unto  them. 
When  thy  sisters,  Sodom  and  her  daughters,  shall  return  to  their 
former  estate,  and  Samaria  and  her  daughters  shall  return  to  their 
former  estate,  then  thou  and  thy  daughters  shall  return  to  your 
former  estate.  For  thy  sister  Sodom  was  not  mentioned  by  thy 
mouth  in  the  day  of  thy  pride.  Before  thy  wickedness  was  dis- 
eovered,  as  at  the  time  of  thy  reproach  of  the  daughters  of  Syria, 
and  all  that  are  round  about  her,  the  daughters  of  the  Philistines, 
which  despise  thee  round  about.  Thou  hast  borne  thy  lewdness 
and  thine  abominations,  saith  the  Lord.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  I  will  even  deal  with  thee  as  thou  hast  done,  which  hast  de- 
spised the  oath  in  breaking  the  covenant   (verses  35-59). 

The  Word  of  the  Lord  is  now  addressed  not  to  the  beloved 
city,  but  to  the  harlot.  She  had  committed  the  most  awful 
spiritual  fornication,  with  which  she  had  insulted  Jehovah, 
and  utterly  rejected  His  love  and  mercy.  All  the  idols 
of  abominations  were  found  in  her.  The  different  nations 
which  surrounded  the  land  were  given  to  the  most  degrad- 
ing idolatries,  and  Jerusalem  had  not  alone  taken  up  this 
wicked  idol  worship,  but  she  became  worse  than  the  heathen 
which  practised  these  things.  "They  did  after  the  abomina- 
tions of  the  heathen  which  the  Lord  had  cast  out  before 
the  children  of  Israel"  (2  Kings  xxi:2).  Graven  images 
were  set  up  in  Jerusalem.  Moloch  service  (sacrifice  of  chil- 
dren) became  general.  Sorceries  and  demon-cults  flour- 
ished. The  vilest  immoralities  were  linked  with  all  this 
false  worship.  Jerusalem  had  become  a  harlot  in  the  full- 
est sense  of  the  word,  a  sink  of  iniquity.     And  her  lovers. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  Ill 

th:e  nations,  whose  idolatries  she  had  accepted,  v/ould  now 
be  gathered  against  her  to  be  used  in  her  judgment  (verse 
37).  Her  judgment  would  be  "as  a  woman  that  breaks  wed- 
lock," that  is,  an  adulteress — "and  I  will  give  thy  blood  in 
fury  and  jealousy"  (verse  38).  Stoning  was  the  judgment 
for  a  woman  who  committed  adultery  (Lev.  xx:10;  John 
viii:5).  Therefore  the  Lord  said,  "They  shall  also  bring 
up  a  company  against  thee,  and  they  shall  stone  thee  with 
stones  and  thrust  thee  through  with  their  swords"  (verse 
40).  The  judgment  would  be  exhaustive  upon  her  and  she 
would  be  caused  to  cease  playing  the  harlot — "thou  shalt 
also  give  no  hire  any  more"  (verse  41).  Without  following 
the  description  of  her  doom  and  Jehovah's  scathing  con- 
demnation in  detail,  we  turn  to  that  which  is  of  much 
importance  and  interest.  Samaria  is  mentioned  and  her 
daughters  as  the  elder  sister  of  Jerusalem,  and  Sodom  and 
her  daughters  as  her  younger  sister  (verse  46).  And 
though  the  corruption  of  Samaria  and  Sodom  were  so 
great,  yet  Jerusalem  "was  corrupted  more  than  they"  in 
all  her  ways.  "As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  Sodom  thy 
sister  hath  not  done,  she  nor  her  daughters,  as  thou  hast 
done,  thou  and  thy  daughters"  (verse  48).  Samaria  is 
called  the  elder  sister,  because  the  northern  kingdom 
was  the  larger;  and  Sodom  is  called  the  younger,  because 
her  territory  was  smaller.  The  daughters  mentioned  in 
connection  with  each  has  reference  to  the  allied  towns  of 
Jerusalem,  Samaria  and  the  region  south  of  Jerusalem, 
where  Sodom  was  the  chief  city.  Then  Sodom's  sin  is 
mentioned.  Pride  stands  first  (verse  49);  luxurious  living, 
and  then  followed  abomination,  and  God  took  them  away. 
After  the  sins  of  Samaria  are  briefly  rehearsed  we  find  in 
this  chapter  the  following  words:  "When  I  shall  bring  again 
their  captivity,  the  captivity  of  Sodom  and  her  daughters, 
and  the  captivity  of  Samaria  and  her  daughters,  then  will 


112  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

I  bring  again  the  captivity  of  thy  captives  in  the  midst  of 
them"  (verse  53).  And  again  we  read:  "When  thy  sisters, 
Sodom  and  her  daughters,  shall  return  to  their  former 
estate,  and  Samaria  and  her  daughters  shall  return  to  their 
former  estate,  then  thou  and  thy  daughters  shall  return  to 
your  former  estate"  (verse  55).  These  two  statements 
are  used  by  a  certain  class  of  teachers  to  back  up  their 
unscriptural  theory  of  a  future  restitution  of  the  wicked 
dead.  They  say  that  these  two  passages  predict  a  restora- 
tion of  Sodom  and  the  other  wicked  cities  which  perished 
in  judgment  by  fire  (Gen.  xix),  and  also  a  restoration  of 
Samaria  as  well  as  Jerusalem,  and  upon  this  they  built  their 
hope  that  all  the  wicked  dead  will  be  raised  up  and  restored  to 
a  place  of  blessing.  They  make  therefore  much  of  a  restora- 
tion of  the  wicked  dead  by  resurrection.*  Besides  these  two 
passages  they  also  use  the  following  Old  Testament  scrip- 
tures to  confirm  their  theory:  Eze.  xxxvii:l-14;  Hosea 
xiii:  14;  Jere.  xlviii:47;  Is.  xxv:7-8,  and  others.  These 
passages  are  applied  by  these  teachers  to  a  restitution  of 
the  wicked  dead  by  resurrection.  But  this  is  the  wrong 
interpretation.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  resur- 
rection of  the  physical  dead.  They  refer  to  national  resur- 
rection and  restoration.  Three  facts  will  show  the  error 
of  making  the  Old  Testament  teach  the  restoration  of  the 
wicked  dead: 

/.  The  Old  Testament  is  not  that  part  of  the  divine  Reve- 
lation where  teachings  and  doctrines  about  the  future  state 
are  given. 

This  is  a  most  important  fact.  The  Old  Testament 
shows  man  as  upon  the  earth,  on  this  side  of  death,  and 
not  beyond  death.    The  future  of  Israel  on  the  earth,  their 

*Minennial  Dawn,  or  Associated  Bible  Students,  Restorationists, 
etc.,  do  this. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  113 

supremacy  and  destiny  of  glory  amidst  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  the  judgments  of  God  in  the  earth,  as  well  as  the 
future  blessings  for  the  nations  inhabiting  the  earth  dur- 
ing the  coming  age,  are  all  clearly  revealed  in  the  Old 
Testament.  The  state  after  death,  that  which  is  beyond 
this  life,  is  shrouded  in  mystery  in  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures.  That  great  judgment,  the  great  white  throne 
judgment,  is  nowhere  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament, 
nor  do  we  read  a  word  there  of  "the  second  death."  Resur- 
rection of  the  dead,  no  doubt,  was  known  to  individual 
saints  of  Old  Testament  times;  the  Spirit  of  God  revealed 
it  to  their  hearts,  but  as  a  doctrine,  resurrection  is  not  found 
in  the  Old  Testament.  In  Psalm  xvi  is  revealed  the  hope 
of  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  there  is  a  prophecy  of 
the  resurrection  of  our  Lord. 

//.  Should  ive  find  anything  in  the  Old  Testament  con- 
cerning the  future  state,  the  state  of  the  righteous  and  the  un- 
righteous after  death,  such  a  hint  or  statement  can  only  be 
rightly  understood  and  interpreted  by  the  great  doctrine  con- 
cerning the  future  state  as  revealed  in  the    New    Testament. 

By  this,  of  course,  we  do  not  say  that  the  Old  Testament 
needs  correction  by  the  revelation  of  the  New,  nor  do  we 
say  that  the  Old  is  inferior  to  the  New;  all  is  the  Word  of 
God.  However,  as  the  Old  Testament  does  not  show  man's 
condition  after  death,  any  passage  which  appears  to  relate 
to  such  a  condition  must  be  interpreted  by  the  full  light  as 
given  in  the  New  Testament. 

///.  //  sitch  passages  as  Ezekiel  xvi:53  and  Ezekiel 
xxxvii:l-l4,  etc.,  teach  the  restitution  of  the  zvicked  by  resurrec- 
tion for  another  chance,  we  must  then  find  such  a  doctrine  of  the 
restoration  of  the  wicked  dead  for  another  chance  to  accept 
salvation  most  clearly  and  fully  revealed  as  one  of  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  New  Testament. 

In  vain,  however,  do  we  look  in  the  New  Testament  for 


114  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

such  a  restoration — second  probation  doctrine.  Such  a  doc- 
trine is  not  even  hinted  at  in  the  New.  However,  the  New 
Testament  gives  the  fullest  revelation  concerning  resurrec- 
tion and  the  future  state.  It  tells  us  that  there  is  indeed 
a  resurrection  of  the  body  for  every  human  being.  This 
revelation  of  resurrection  as  contained  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment leaves  no  room  whatever  for  the  Sodomites  and  all 
the  wicked  idolatrous  Israelites,  to  be  raised  up  for  another 
chance.  Our  Lord  in  John  v:29  reveals  a  two-fold  resur- 
rection, a  resurrection  unto  life  and  a  resurrection  unto 
damnation.  The  human  race,  those  who  have  died,  are 
therefore  in  resurrection  divided  into  two  classes:  they 
must  come  forth  either  unto  life  or  unto  damnation;  there 
is  no  middle  class.  Later  the  New  Testament  teaches  a 
first  resurrection,  an  out  resurrection  from  the  dead.  Only 
those  who  have  believed  and  died  in  Christ  will  have  a  share 
in  this  resurrection.  Both  Old  and  New  Testament  saints 
belong  to  it,  but  none  have  a  part  in  it  who  died  in  their  sins. 
The  rest  of  the  dead,  meaning  of  course,  the  wicked  dead,  are 
not  raised  up  till  after  the  thousand  years.  This  is  a  second 
resurrection  and  this  takes  place  not  when  the  Lord  comes  the 
second  time,  but  after  His  millennial  reign  (Rev.  xx).  The 
subjects  of  this  second  resurrection  appear  before  the  great 
white  throne  and  are  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire.  Now,  these 
teachers  claim  that  the  return  of  Sodom  and  Samaria  to 
their  former  estate  means  their  resurrection  for  another 
chance  when  the  Lord  comes.  But  as  these  departed 
wicked  people  are  wicked  still,  how  can  they  have  part  in 
the  first  resurrection  when  the  Lord  comes,  which  is  the 
resurrection  of  the  righteous.^ 

They  surely  cannot  belong  to  this  resurrection.  And 
there  is  nowhere  in  the  New  Testament  a  word  about 
another  special  resurrection  in  which  all  the  wicked  are 
raised  from  dead  for  another  chance.     After  the  resurrec- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  115 

tion  of  the  righteous  dead  there  is  but  one  more  resurrection, 
the  resurrection  of  the  wicked  unto  damnation.  In  the 
light  of  these  facts  the  flimsy  theory  built  upon  misapplied 
texts  of  the  Old  Testament,  texts  which  relate  to  national 
restoration  and  blessing,  breaks  down  completely.  And  now 
having  seen  what  the  statements  in  this  chapter  of  Ezekiel 
do  not  mean,  let  us  see  what  is  their  meaning.  While  these 
statements  cannot  mean  the  resurrection  of  individuals, 
they  mean  a  national  restoration.  There  is  promised  ia 
many  passages  of  the  Old  Testament  a  national  restoration 
of  Israel.  The  ten  tribes  are  to  be  brought  back  to  their 
former  possessions.  Historically  they  have  been  lost.* 
But  they  are  not  lost  to  God.  He  knows  where  they  are. 
He  has  kept  track  of  them,  and  in  His  own  time  He  will 
make  good  the  promises  of  their  restoration  and  will  bring 
back  the  remnants  of  the  house  of  Israel,  now  scattered 
still  among  the  nations.  The  Jews  will  also  be  restored  to 
their  territory.  Repeatedly  this  national  restoration  of 
the  ancient  people  is  promised  under  the  picture  of  a  resur- 
rection. But  to  other  nations  there  is  also  promised  such 
a  national  restoration  in  the  days  to  come,  when  the  Lord 
comes  and  begins  His  Kingdom  reign  over  the  earth.  Such 
a  national  revival  is  beyond  a  doubt  promised  for  a  future 
day  to  Moab,  Ammon,  Assyria  and  Egypt.  Edom  and 
Babylon,  however,  are  doomed  as  nations  and  no  revival 
whatever  is  promised  to  them. 

We  do  not  know  of  course  how  God  will  accomplish  these 
promises  of  restoration  and  national  revivals,  and  how  He 
will  gather  the  remnants  of  these  former  nations  from  the 
great  sea  of  nations.  We  can  leave  this  and  other  difficulties 
with  Him  wh«  will  see  t©  the  fulfillment  of  all  these  things. 


*The  »o-called  AngU-Iirael  the«ry  lacks  all  Scriptural  and  hist©rical 
support. 


116  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

And  so  there  is  promised  not  alone  a  return  of  Samaria  to 
her  former  estate,  but  also  to  Sodom  and  the  cities  which 
were  wiped  out  by  judgment.  Here  is  the  difficulty  which 
is  used  to  prove  that  a  literal  resurrection  of  the  wicked 
Sodomites  must  be  meant.  Were  they  not  all  totally 
destroyed.''  How  then  can  there  be  a  national  restoration 
when  they  all  perished.^  But  while  it  is  true  that  all  who 
were  in  Sodom  and  the  other  cities  perished,  we  do  not 
know  how  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  these  prosperous 
cities,  thickly  populated,  no  doubt,  happened  to  be  away 
from  home,  on  journeys  or  outside  of  the  doomed  district, 
and  thus  escaped  the  fate  of  others.  God  knows  all  this 
and  keeps  track  of  all.  There  is  certainly  promised  a  healing 
for  the  territory  occupied  by  Sodom  and  her  sister  cities. 
The  vision  of  the  stream  issuing  from  the  temple  (Ex.  xlvii) 
is  seen  emptying  into  the  sea,  which  is  the  Dead  Sea,  "and 
the  waters  shall  be  healed  and  everything  shall  live  whither- 
soever the  river  cometh."  See  also  Zechariah  xiv:8.  And 
what  else  it  may  mean  we  do  not  know.  But  one  of  thing 
we  can  be  assured,  it  does  not  mean  the  resurrection  of 
the  wicked  Sodomites  for  a  second  chance,  for  we  know  that 
they  are  "suffering  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire"  (Jude  7). 

IV.    The  Covenant  Remembered  and  Established. 

The  closing  paragraph  of  this  interesting  chapter  is  the 
divine  assurance  that  the  covenant  made  in  the  days  of 
Israel's  youth  is  to  be  remembered. 

Nevertheless  I  will  remember  my  covenant  v/ith  thee  in  the  days 
of  thy  youth,  and  I  will  establish  unto  thee  an  everlasting  covenant. 
Then  thou  shalt  remember  thy  ways,  and  be  ashamed,  when  thou 
shalt  receive  thy  sisters,  thine  elder  and  thy  younger:  and  I  will  give 
them  unto  thee  for  daughters,  but  not  by  thy  covenant.  And  I  will 
establish  my  covenant  with  thee;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am 
the  Lordj  that  thou  mayest  remember,  and  be  confounded,  and 
never  open  thy  mouth  any  more  because  of  thy  sham.e,  when  I  am 
pacified  toward  thee  for  all  that  thou  hast  done,  saith  the  Lord 
God  (verses  60-63). 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  117 

The  covenant  will  be  remembered  and  established  as  an 
everlasting  covenant.  Then  Jerusalem  will  receive  the  elder 
and  younger  sister,  Samaria  and  Sodom,  not  as  sisters, 
but  as  daughters.  They  will  be  added  in  the  coming  days 
of  blessing  to  Jerusalem.  This,  however,  will  not  be  done 
"by  thy  covenant,"  which  means  the  law  covenant  but  by 
"His  covenant,"  the  covenant  of  promise  and  of  grace 
(xvi:8).  "And  I  will  establish  my  covenant  with  thee, 
and  thou  shah  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."  Of  this  great 
restoration  and  blessing  in  store  for  Jerusalem  we  shall  hear 
much  in  the  closing  visions  of  Ezekiel. 

THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  TWO  EAGLES.    THE  CEDAR 
AND  THE  VINE. 

Chapter  xvii. 

The  Prophet  is  once  more  commanded  to  speak  in  a 
parable  to  the  house  of  Israel.  In  this  parable  there  is  again 
portrayed  the  sin  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  treacherous  char- 
acter of  corrupt  Zedekiah.  Like  the  sixteenth  chapter 
it  ends  with  another  restoration  promise,  which  will  find  its 
future  fulfilment  when  God  in  sovereign  grace  exalts  the 
branch  of  David.  This  will  take  place  when  Messiah  will 
be  King  and  rules  in  righteousness. 

I.    The  Parable  of  the  Two  Eagles. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  put 
forth  a  riddle,  and  speak  a  parable  unto  the  house  of  Israel:  And 
say.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  A  great  eagle  with  great  wings,  long- 
winged,  full  of  feathers,  which  had  divers  colors,  came  unto  Leb- 
anon, and  took  the  highest  branch  of  the  cedar:  He  cropped  off 
the  top  of  liis  young  twigs,  and  carried  it  Into  a  land  of  trafhck; 
he  set  it  in  a  city  of  merchants.  He  took  also  of  the  seed  of  the  land, 
and  planted  it  in  a  fruitful  field;  he  placed  it  by  great  waters,  and 
set  it  as  a  willow  tree.  And  it  grew,  and  became  a  spreading  vine 
of  low  stature,  whose  branches  turned  toward  him,  and  the  roots 


118  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

thereof  were  under  him:  so  it  became  a  vine,  and  brought  forth 
branches,  and  shot  forth  sprigs.  There  was  also  another  great 
eagle  with  great  wings  and  many  feathers:  and  behold,  this  vine 
did  bend  her  roots  toward  him,  and  shot  forth  her  branches  toward 
him,  that  he  might  water  it  by  the  furrows  of  her  plantation. 
It  was  planted  in  a  good  soil  by  great  waters,  that  it  might  bring 
forth  branches,  and  that  it  might  bear  fruit,  that  it  might  be  a 
goodly  vine.  Say  thou.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Shall  it  prosper.^ 
shall  he  not  pull  up  the  roots  thereof,  and  cut  off  the  fruit  thereof, 
that  it  wither.''  It  shall  wither  in  all  the  leaves  of  her  spring,  even 
without  great  pow'er  or  many  people  to  pluck  it  up  by  the  roots 
thereof.  Yea,  behold,  being  planted,  shall  it  prosper.''  shall  it  not 
utterly  wither,  when  the  east  wind  toucheth  it.?  It  shall  wither  in 
the  furrows  where  it  grew  (verses  1-10). 

The  great  eagle  mentioned  first  is  Nebuchadnezzar,  the 
King  of  Babylon.  "For  thus  saith  the  Lord:  Behold  he 
shall  fly  as  an  eagle,  and  shall  spread  his  wings  over  Moab" 
(Jer.  xlviii:40).  "Behold,  he  shall  come  up  and  fly  as  the 
eagle,  and  spread  his  wings  over  Bozrah"  (Jer.  xlix:22). 
When  Daniel  saw  the  Babylonian  Empire  rising  out  of  the 
sea  it  was  in  the  form  of  a  lion  with  eagles'  wings  (Daniel 
vii:l-2).  Nebuchadnezzar  had  been  constituted  by  God 
the  first  great  monarch  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  after  the 
complete  apostasy  of  Israel.  Thus  Jeremiah  had  announced  it 
(Jer.  xxvii:5,  etc.),  and  Daniel  also  told  the  King,  "Thou,  O 
King,  art  a  King  of  Kings,  for  the  God  of  heaven  hath  given 
thee  a  Kingdom,  power,  and  strength  and  glory"  (Dan. 
ii:37).  Ezekiel's  parable  describes  him  as  a  great  eagle  with 
great  wings  and  long-winged,  denoting  his  great  power  and 
the  vast  dominion  which  belonged  to  him.  "Full  of  feathers" 
pictures  the  multitude  of  his  subjects  and  the  "divers 
colors"  the  different  nations  of  his  empire. 

This  eagle,  Nebuchadnezzar,  came  to  Lebanon  and  took 
the  highest  branch  of  the  cedar.  He  cropped  off  the  top  of 
his  young  twigs,  and  carried  it  into  a  land  of  traffic;  he  set 
it  in  a  city  of  merchants.     The  cedar  of  Lebanon  is  the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  Il9 

symbol  of  the  royal  house  of  David,  which  was  conquered 
by  the  eagle.  The  top  of  his  young  twigs,  whom  Nebuchad- 
nezzar cropped  off  and  carried  into  the  city  of  merchants, 
Babylon,  describes  Jehoiakim  and  his  captivity  (2  Kings 
xxiv:l-5)  2  Chron.  xxxvi:6-7).  Then  Nebuchadnezzar 
made  Mattaniah,  the  youngest  son  of  Josiah,  King  over 
Judah,  and  changed  his  name  to  Zedekiah.  This  action 
of  the  King  of  Babylon  is  described  in  verse  5.  And  Zedekiah 
might  have  done  well  if  he  had  held  to  the  King  who  had  set 
him  into  the  place  of  authority.  He  was  placed  like  a  willow 
tree  besides  great  waters,  so  that  he  became  a  spreading 
vine  of  low  stature;  his  roots  were  under  him,  which  means, 
he  was  dependent  upon  Nebuchadnezzar  (2  Kings  xxiv:17). 
The  other  great  eagle,  whom  Ezekiel  mentions  in  his  parable, 
is  Hophra,  the  King  of  Egypt.  To  this  king  Zedekiah 
turned  for  help:  "This  vine  bent  her  roots  towards  him." 
Zedekiah  rebelled  against  Nebuchadnezzar.  Verse  8  des- 
cribes the  opportunity  which  had  been  given  to  Zedekiah 
and  verses  9-10  announces  his  judgment.  The  sin  and 
treacherous  dealings  of  Zedekiah  is  shown  in  the  next  verses. 

II.    The  Interpretation  and  Application  of  the  Parable. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Say  now 
to  the  rebellious  house,  Know  ye  not  what  these  things  mean.?  tell 
them,  Behold,  the  king  of  Babylon  is  come  to  Jerusalem,  and  hath 
taken  the  king  thereof,  and  the  princes  thereof,  and  led  them  with 
him  to  Babylon;  and  hath  taken  of  the  king's  seed,  and  made  a 
covenant  with  him,  and  hath  taken  an  oath  of  him:  he  hath  also 
taken  the  mighty  of  the  land.  That  the  kingdom  might  be  base, 
that  it  might  not  lift  itself  up,  but  that  by  keeping  of  his  covenant 
it  might  stand.  But  he  rebelled  against  him  in  sending  his  am- 
bassadors into  Egypt,  "that  they  might  give  him  horses  and  much 
people.  "Shall  he  prosper?  shall  he  escape  that  doeth  such  things.? 
or  shall  he  break  the  covenant  and  be  delivered?  As  I  live,  saith 
the  Lord  God,  surely  in  the  place  where  the  king  dwelleth  that^ 
made  him  king,  whose  oath  he  despised,  and  whose  covenant  he 
brake,  even  with  him  in  the  midst  of  Babylon  he  shall  die.     Neither 


120  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

shall  Pharoah  with  his  mighty  army  and  great  company  make  for 
him  in  the  war,  by  casting  up  mounts  and  building  forts,  to  cut  off 
many  persons.  Seeing  he  despised  the  oath  by  breaking  the  cov- 
enant, when,  lo,  he  had  given  his  hand,  and  hath  done  all  these 
things  he  shall  not  escape.  Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
As  I  live,  surely  mine  oath  that  he  hath  despised,  and  my  covenant 
that  he  hath  broken,  even  it  will  I  recompense  upon  his  own  head. 
And  I  will  spread  my  net  upon  him,  and  he  shall  be  taken  in  my 
inare,  and  I  will  bring  him  to  Babylon,  and  will  plead  with  him 
there  for  his  trespass  that  he  hath  trespassed  against  me.  And 
all  his  fugitives  with  all  his  bands  shall  fall  by  the  sword,  and  they 
that  remain  shall  be  scattered  toward  all  winds:  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it  (verses  11-21). 

We  have  next  the  divine  interpretation  and  application  of 
this  parable.  After  the  statement  that  the  great  eagle,  the 
King  of  Babylon,  had  come  to  Jerusalem  and  taken  the  King 
and  the  princes  captive,  Zedekiah  is  mentioned.  Nebuchad- 
nezzar had  made  him  King  and  had  made  a  covenant  with  him 
and  had  taken  an  oath  of  him.  Nebuchadnezzar  had  made 
him  swear  by  God  (2  Chron.  xxxvi:13).  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  with  Zedekiah  and  the 
name  of  God  was  used  to  make  that  covenant  binding. 
Then  Zedekiah,  who  had  less  regard  for  the  name  of  God 
than  Nebuchadnezzar,  rebelled.  Ambassadors  from  Edom, 
Moab,  Ammon,  Tyre  and  Sidon,  came  to  Jerusalem  to  see 
King  Zedekiah  (Jere.  xxvii:l-2).  A  combined  revolution  was 
evidently  contemplated.  He  also  sent  ambassadors  to  Egypt. 
He  expected  great  help  from  Pharaoh,  who  was  a  grandson 
of  Necho,  named  Hophra.  He  advanced  through  Phoenicia 
and  obliged  the  Chaldean  army  to  abandon  the  siege  of 
Jerusalem  (Jere.  xxxvii:  5-7).  The  joy  over  this  event  in 
Jerusalem  was  great,  for  the  wicked,  treacherous  King 
Zedekiah  expected  that  the  Egyptian  army  would  be  the 
deliverer.  But  the  relief  was  of  a  short  duration.  The 
Egyptian  army  had  to  retire  and  the  Chaldeans  resumed 
the  siege.    His  great  sin  was  that  he  had  despised  the  oath 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  121 

and  broken  the  covenant.  Ezekiel  announced  therefore  in 
the  name  of  Jehovah  his  coming  doom.  "Therefore  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  as  I  live,  surely  mine  oath  that  he  hath 
despised,  and  my  covenant  that  he  hath  broken,  even  it  will 
I  recompense  upon  his  own  head.  And  I  will  spread  my  net 
upon  him,  and  he  shall  be  taken  in  my  snare,  and  I  will  bring 
him  to  Babylon,  and  will  plead  with  him  there  for  his  tres- 
pass that  he  hath  trespassed  against  me."  He  tried  to  escape 
from  Jerusalem,  but  he  and  his  household  were  taken  captives 
and  carried  to  the  headquarters  of  Nebuchadnezzar  at  Riblah. 
Zedekiah  was  arraigned  and  sentenced.  His  daughters  were 
set  free,  while  his  sons  were  slain  before  him.  This  was  the 
last  thing  the  oath-despising,  covenant-breaking  Zedekiah 
saw.  His  eyes  were  put  out  and  he  was  bound  with  double 
fetters  of  brass  and  carried  to  Babylon,  where  he  died  a 
prisoner  (Jere.  lii:ll).  He  had  despised  the  name  of 
Jehovah  and  brought  dishonor  upon  the  name  by  violating 
the  covenant  with  Nebuchadnezzar.  The  Gentile  King 
had  a  higher  esteem  of  that  Name  than  the  Jewish  King. 
And  then  Jehovah  in  His  righteous  dealings  used  the  Gentile 
to  mete  out  the  well-deserved  retribution  upon  Zedekiah. 
Thus  the  Gentile  King  was  used  in  punishing  a  faithless  Jew. 
It  foreshadows  the  judgment  which  came  upon  the  whole 
nation  when  they  despised  and  rejected  more  than  a  cove- 
nant. Ever  since  they  rejected  their  own  Messiah  and  King, 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Gentiles  have  trodden  down 
Jerusalem  and  the  nation  is  blinded. 

III.  The  Promise  of  the  Future. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will  also  take  of  the  highest  branch 
of  the  high  cedar,  and  will  set  it;  I  will  crop  off  from  the  top  of  his 
young  twigs  a  tender  one,  and  will  plant  it  upon  an  high  mountain 
and  eminent:  In  the  mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel  will  I  plant 
it:  and  it  shall  bring  forth  boughs,  and  bear  fruit,  and  be  a  goodly 
cedar:  and  under  it  shall  dwell  all  fowl  of  every  M'ing;  in  the  shadow 


122  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

of  the  branches  thereof  shall  they  dwell.  And  all  the  trees  of  the 
field  shall  know  that  I,  the  Lord,  have  brought  down  the  high  tree, 
have  exalted  the  low  tree,  have  dried  up  the  green  tree,  and  iiave 
made  the  dry  tree  to  flourish:  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  aiid  have 
done  it  (verses  22-24). 

And  now  once  more  Israel's  hope  and  Israel's  future 
comes  into  view.  The  allegory  of  the  parable  is  continued. 
The  cedar  is  the  royal  house  of  David.  God  in  His  Sover- 
eignty promises  to  take  "of  its  young  shoots  a  tender  one  and 
I  will  plant  it  upon  a  high  and  eminent  mountain."  This 
tender  one  is  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  David.  It  is  the  same 
promise  as  given  in  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  "And  there  shall 
come  forth  a  rod  out  of  the  stem  of  Jesse,  and  a  Branch  shall 
grow  out  of  his  roots"  (Is.  xi:l).  "For  He  shall  grow  up 
before  him  as  a  tender  plant  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry 
ground"  (Is.  liii:2).  The  high  and  eminent  mountain 
typifies  Mount  Zion  and  the  Kingdom  of  Messiah  is  pictured 
in  the  closing  verses  of  the  chapter.  The  high  tree  which  is 
brought  low,  the  green  tree  which  is  dried  up  is  the  symbol 
of  Gentile  world-power.  The  low  tree  which  is  exalted 
and  the  dry  tree  which  is  made  to  flourish  stands  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Kingdom  to  Israel  when  the  Son  of  David, 
our  Lord,  comes  again.  Then  the  high  tree  will  be  cut  down 
and  the  now  flourishing  Gentile  dominion  will  dry  up; 
Israel  the  low  tree  will  be  exalted  and  the  long,  dry  and 
barren  nation  will  bring  its  blessed  fruit. 

GOD'S   JUDGMENTS   ARE   RIGHTEOUS. 
Chapter  xviii. 

Again  the  Word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  the  Prophet.  The 
contents  of  this  chapter  are,  therefore,  not  "the  reason- 
ings and  expostulations  of  Ezekiel,"  but  another  great 
message  to  the  stubborn  nation,  which  constantly  tried 
to  justify  itself.     Judgments   heavy  and  severe  had  come 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  123 

upon  them.  Instead  of  bowing  under  them  and  confessing 
their  guilt  and  the  justice  of  all  these  punitive  dealings 
of  a  righteous  God,  they  accused  Him  of  injustice,  as  if 
He  were  punishing  them,  not  for  their  own  sins,  but  for  the 
sins  of  their  fathers.  They  said,  "the  way  of  the  Lord  is 
not  equal";  and  the  Lord  proves  to  them  that  His  way  is 
equal,  but  their  way  is  unequal  (verse  25).  It  is  a  great 
and  interesting  controversy,  ending  with  the  sublime  dec- 
laration and  appeal,  "I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
him  that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God,  wherefore  turn  your- 
selves and  live." 

I.  The  False  Accusation  and  the  Divine  Answer. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  again,  saying.  What  mean 
ye,  that  ye  use  this  proverb  concerning  the  land  of  Israel,  saying, 
The  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's  teeth  arc 
set  on  edge.  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  ye  shall  not  have 
occasion  any  more  to  use  this  proverb  in  Israel.  Behold,  all  souls 
are  mine;  as  the  soul  of  the  father,  so  also  the  soul  of  the  son  is 
mine:    the  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die  (^verses  1-4). 

The  same  proverb,  "the  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes, 
and  the  children's  teeth  are  set  on  edge"  is  also  mentioned 
by  the  Prophet  Jeremiah.  "In  those  days  they  shall  say 
no  more,  the  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grape,  his  teeth  shall 
be  set  on  edge"  (Jer.  xxxi:29).  And  Jeremiah  adds  in  a 
brief  sentence  what  is  more  fully  given  through  Ezekiel: 
"But  every  one  shall  die  for  his  own  iniquity jevery  man 
that  eateth  the  sour  grape,  his  teeth  shall  be  set  on  edge." 
What  they  meant  by  this  proverb  is  that  their  forefathers 
had  committed  sin  and  now  they  were  bearing  the  results  of 
their  iniquities,  while  they,  the  children,  were  innocent. 
"Our  fathers  have  sinned  and  are  not;  and  we  have  borne 
their  iniquities"  (Lam.  v:7).  This  was  a  false  and  unjust 
accusation.  No  doubt  they  rested  their  proverb  upon 
Exodus   II :5     and  xxxiv:7.       But  doing   this   they  denied 


124  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

their  own  guilt  and  refused  to  repent  and  be  converted. 
And  now  the  Lord  answers  the  proverb  to  show  its  injustice 
so  that  it  should  no  more  be  used  in  Israel:  "Behold  all 
souls  are  mine;  as  the  soul  of  the  father,  so  also  the  soul 
of  the  son  is  mine;  the  soul  that  sinneth  it  shall  die."  He 
will  judge  the  individual,  father  or  son,  according  to  conduct. 
All  belong  to  Him,  which  means,  He  is  the  Creator  of  all 
and  He  will  deal  with  each  individually.  If  the  sins  of  the 
fathers  come  upon  the  children,  it  is  because  the  children 
follow  the  wickedness  of  the  fathers.  "Every  man  shall  be 
put  to  death  for  his  own  sin"  (Deut.  xxiv:16).  The  person 
that  sins  shall  die  for  his  own  sins.  "The  soul  that  sinneth 
it  shall  die," 

II.  The  Conditions  of  Life. 

But  if  a  man  be  just,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and  right.  And 
hath  not  eaten  upon  the  mountains,  neither  hath  lifted  up  his  eyes 
to  the  idols  of  the  house  of  Israel,  neither  hath  defiled  his  neighbor's 
wife,  neither  hath  come  near  to  a  woman  in  her  separation.  And 
hath  not  oppressed  any,  but  hath  restored  to  the  debtor  his  pledge, 
hath  spoiled  none  by  violence,  h.ath  given  his  bread  to  the  hungry, 
and  hath  covered  the  naked  with  a  garment:  He  that  hath  not  given 
forth  upon  usury,  neither  hath  taken  any  increase,  that  hath  with- 
drawn his  liand  from  iniquity,  hath  executed  true  judgment  between 
man  and  man.  Hath  walked  in  my  statutes,  and  hath  kept  my 
judgments,  to  deal  trul)';  he  is  just,  he  shall  surely  live,  saith  the 
Lord  God  (verses  5-9). 

This  paragraph  and  the  next  two  begin  with  an  "if." 
They  are,  therefore,  supposed  cases  "if  a  man  be  just."  It 
shows  what  God  requires  as  the  conditions  for  life.  How- 
ever, it  must  be  understood  that  the  promise  of  life,  "he  shall 
surely  live,"  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  eternal  life. 
This  is  not  at  all  in  view  in  these  paragraphs.  It  is  the 
natural  life.  Eternal  life  was  never  promised  to  be  be- 
stowed upon  man  as  the  result  of  doing  what  is  lawful  and 
right.     Neither  righteousness  nor  eternal  life  can  come  by 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  125 

the  works  of  the  law.  Here  negatively  and  positively  God's 
demands  are  stated.  In  the  sixth  verse  false  worship  is  in 
view.  Eating  upon  the  mountains,  the  high  places,  was 
the  false  worship;  the  idols  of  the  house  of  Israel  were  the 
calves  which  Jeroboam  had  set  up  (1  Kings  xii:25-33).  This 
demand  for  true  worship  covers  the  first  part  of  the  deca- 
logue, "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  besides  Me."  With 
this  spiritual  fornication,  an  idolatrous  worship,  there 
was  connected  the  grossest  lusts  of  the  flesh.  These  are 
mentioned  here  as  well  as  sins  against  the  neighbor.  Thus 
the  commandments  in  the  second  part  of  the  decalogue  are 
made  prominent.  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  "Thou  shalt  not 
commit  adultery,"  "Thou  shalt  not  steal."  This  is  followed 
by  the  divine  demand  of  practical  righteousness.  He  that 
hath  withdrawn  his  hand  from  iniquity  hath  executed  true 
judgment  between  man  and  man,  hath  walked  in  God's 
statutes,  to  keep  His  judgments  and  deals  truly,  is  pro- 
nounced just  and  shall  therefore  surely  live.  His  life  would 
be  spared. 

III.  The  Conditions  which  bring  Death. 

If  he  beget  a  son  that  is  a  robber,  a  shedder  of  blood,  and  that 
doeth  the  like  to  any  one  of  these  things.  And  that  doeth  not  any 
of  those  duties,  but  even  hath  eaten  upon  the  mountains,  and 
defiled  his  neighbor's  wife,  Hath  oppressed  the  poor  and  needy, 
hath  spoiled  by  violence,  hath  not  restored  the  pledge,  and  hath 
lifted  up  his  eyes  to  the  idols,  hath  committed  abomination, 
Hath  given  forth  upon  usury,  and  hath  taken  increase:  shall  he 
then  live?  he  shall  not  live:  he  hath  done  all  these  abominations; 
he  shall  surely  die;    his  blood  shall  be  upon  him  (verses  10-13). 

Here  then  is  the  second  supposed  case  of  a  son  who  had  a 
righteous  father.  This  son  lives  in  wickedness  and  defies 
God's  laws.  He  does  not  follow  his  father's  piety,  but  is 
unjust  in  every  sense  of  the  word.  The  question  then  is 
asked,  "Shall  he  live.'"'     Can  the  merits  of  his  father  save 


126  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

him?  And  the  divine  answer  is,  "He  shall  not  live — he  shall 
surely  die."  Physical  death  would  come  upon  him  and  he 
would  be  cut  off  in  judgment, 

IV.  The  Son  does  not  Die  for  his  Father's  Sins. 

Now,  lo,  if  he  beget  a  son,  that  seeth  all  his  father's  sins,  which  he 
hath  done,  and  considereth,  and  doeth  not  such  like.  That  hath 
not  eaten  upon  the  mountains,  neither  hath  lifted  up  his  eyes  to 
the  idols  of  the  house  of  Israel,  hath  not  defiled  his  neighbour's 
wife.  Neither  hath  oppressed  any,  hath  not  withholden  the  pledge, 
neither  hath  spoiled  by  violence,  but  hath  given  his  bread  to  the 
hungry,  and  hath  covered  the  naked  with  a  garment.  That  hath 
taken  off  his  hand  from  the  poor,  that  hath  not  received  usury 
nor  increase,  hath  executed  my  judgments,  hath  walked  in  my 
statutes;  he  shall  not  die  for  the  iniquity  of  his  father,  he  shall 
surely  live.  As  for  his  father,  because  he  cruelly  oppressed, 
spoiled  his  brother  by  violence,  and  did  that  which  is  not  good 
among  his  people,  lo,  even  he  shall  die  in  his  iniquity.  Yet  say 
ye.  Why.''  doth  not  the  son  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father?  When 
the  son  hath  done  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  and  hath  kept 
ail  my  statutes,  and  hath  done  them,  he  shall  surely  live.  The 
soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.  The  son  shall  not  bear  the  iniquity 
of  the  father,  neither  shall  the  father  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  son: 
the  righteousness  of  the  righteous  shall  be  upon  him,  and  the 
wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  be  upon  him  (verses  14-20). 

Still  another  case  is  considered  so  that  the  proverb  of  the 
people  might  be  completely  answered  and  refuted.  A 
wicked  father  has  a  son  who  does  righteously  and  follows 
not  in  the  wicked  ways  of  his  father.  Such  was  the  case  with 
several  Kings  of  Judah.  Ahaz  was  a  wicked  man  and 
Hezekiah,  his  son,  was  a  God-fearing  king;  Josiah  was  also 
the  pious  son  of  a  wicked  father.  In  such  a  case  "the  son 
shall  not  die  for  the  iniquity  of  his  father;  he  shall  surely 
live."  The  father  dies  on  account  of  his  own  iniquity. 
This  statement  was  in  answer  to  their  question,  "Why  does 
not  the  son  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father.^"  This  foolish 
reasoning  from  their  side  that  the  son  could  suffer  for  the 
father's   sin  was  p,  wicked  invention  to  sustain  thena  in  their 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  127 

impenitent  state  and  in  their  sins.  They  claimed  no  guilt 
of  their  own,  but  charged  their  sufferings  to  the  wickedness 
of  the  fathers.  But  we  have  seen  how  perfectly  the  proverb 
"the  fathers  have  eaten  sour  grapes,  and  the  children's 
teeth  are  set  on  edge,"  is  answered  in  these  paragraphs. 

V.    The  Perfect  Equity  of  God. 

But  if  the  wicked  will  turn  from  all  his  sins  that  he  hath  com- 
mitted, and  keep  all  my  statutes,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die.  All  his  transgressions 
that  he  hath  committed,  they  shall  not  be  mentioned  unto  him: 
in  his  righteousness  that  he  hath  done  he  shall  live.  Have  I  any 
pleasure  at  all  that  the  wicked  should  die?  saith  the  Lord  God: 
and  not  that  he  should  return  from  his  ways,  and  live?  But  when 
the  righteous  turneth  away  from  his  righteousness,  and  committeth 
iniquity,  and  doeth  according  to  all  the  abominations  that  the 
wicked  man  doeth,  shall  he  live?  All  his  righteousness  that  he 
hath  done  shall  not  be  mentioned:  in  his  trespass  that  he  hath 
trespassed,  and  in  his  sin  that  he  hath  sinned,  in  them  shall  he  die. 
Yet  ye  say,  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal.  Hear  now,  O  house 
of  Israel;  Is  not  my  way  equal?  are  not  your  ways  unequal? 
When  a  righteous  man  turneth  away  from  his  righteousness,  and 
committeth  iniquity,  and  dieth  in  them:  for  his  iniquity  that  he 
hath  done  shall  he  die.  Again,  when  the  wicked  man  turneth 
away  from  his  wickedness  that  he  hath  committed,  and  doeth  that 
which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall  save  his  soul  alive.  Because 
he  considered!,  and  turneth  away  from  all  his  transgressions  that 
he  hath  committed,  he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die.  Yet  saith 
the  house  of  Israel,  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal.  0  house  of 
Israel,  are  not  my  ways  equal?  arc  not  your  ways  unequal?  There- 
fore I  will  judge  you,  O  house  of  Israel,  every  one  according  to  his 
ways,  saith  the  Lord  God,  Repent  and  turn  yourselves  from  all 
your  transgressions;  so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your  ruin.  Castaway 
from  you  all  your  transgressions,  whereby  ye  have  transgressed; 
and  make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new  spirit:  for  why  will  ye  die, 
O  house  of  Israel?  For  I  have  no  pleasure  In  the  death  of  him 
that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God:  wherefore  turn  yourselves,  and 
live  ye  (verses  21-32). 

They  had  accused  the  Lord  of  injustice.    "The  way  of  the 


128  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Lord  is  not  equal"  (verse  25).  And  Jehovah  answers, 
"Hear  now,  O  house  of  Israel;  Is  not  my  way  equal?  are  not 
your  ways  unequal?"  He  promises  that  the  wicked  is  surely 
to  live,  if  he  turns  from  all  his  sins.  Jehovah  has  no  pleasure 
in  the  death  of  the  wicked.  He  desires  his  return  so  that  he 
might  live.  How  then  would  He  punish  them  for  the  sins 
of  others,  if  He  was  ready  no  longer  to  mention  even  their 
own  transgressions?  But  if  the  righteous  abandons  right- 
eousness and  committeth  iniquity,  then  "in  his  sin  that  he 
hath  sinned,  in  them  shall  he  die."  The  latter  case  has  often 
been  used  to  defend  the  teaching  that  a  truly  converted 
and  therefore  saved  person,  may,  by  sinning,  be  lost.  If 
only  the  Word  of  Truth  were  rightly  divided  such,  and  other 
misinterpretations,  would  cease.  Here  we  are  on  the  ground 
of  the  law  dispensation,  and,  as  already  pointed  out,  the 
Lord  answers  Israel,  who  were  in  relation  to  Him  through 
the  law  covenant  and  who  refused  to  own  their  sins  and 
their  guilt.  The  dispensation  of  Grace,  in  which  Grace 
reigns  through  righteousness  has  a  different  message.  This 
is  fully  illustrated  if  we  compare  the  call  to  repentance  in 
verses  30-31  with  the  promise  given  in  chapter  xxxvi:26-17. 
The  Lord  pleads  with  them  to  acknowledge  their  sinfulness; 
He  speaks  to  their  conscience.  "Repent,  and  turn  yourselves 
from  all  your  transgressions,  so  iniquity  shall  not  be  your 
ruin.  Cast  away  from  you  all  your  transgressions,  whereby 
ye  have  transgressed,  and  make  you  a  new  heart  and  a  new 
spirit;  for  why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel?"  But  in 
chapter  xxxvi  Grace  speaks  and  promises  to  bestow,  as 
a  gift,  what  a  righteous  God  demands.  "A  new  heart 
also  will  I  give  you  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you; 
and  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  of  your  flesh,  and 
I  will  give  you  an  heart  of  flesh.  And  I  will  put  my  spirit 
within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye 
shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do  them."    The  result  of  this 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  129 

gift  of  grace,  a  new  heart  and  His  Spirit,  is  true  repentance. 
"Then  shall  ye  remember  your  own  evil  ways,  and  your 
doings  that  were  not  good,  and  shall  loathe  yourselves  in  your 
own  sight  for  your  iniquities  and  for  your  abominations" 
(chap.  xxxvi:21).  It  was  Augustine  who  said,  "Give  what 
Thou  requirest  and  then  require  what  Thou  will."  All  what 
God  requires  He  bestows  in  His  infinite  Grace  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  and  then  in  possession  of  what  Grace  gives 
we  can  be  what  God  requires.  But  the  thirty-sixth  chapter, 
where  God  no  longer  saith  "make  you  a  new  heart,"  but 
promises  to  give  a  new  heart  to  His  people,  awaits,  as  re- 
gards God's  chosen  people,  its  fulfilment.  Here  God  pleads 
with  them  to  convince  them  that  they  were  a  sinful  people 
and  that  He  is  a  just  God. 

In  the  last  verse  of  this  chapter  the  Lord  answers  the 
question  of  verse  23,  "Have  I  any  pleasure  at  all  that  the 
wicked  should  die?"  His  own  answer  is,  "For  I  have  no 
pleasure  in  the  death  of  Him  that  dieth,  saith  the  Lord  God, 
wherefore  turn  yourselves  and  live."  And  yet  all  these 
gracious  pleadings  were  not  heeded. 

LAMENTATION    OVER   THE    PRINCES    OF    ISRAEL. 
Chapter  xix. 

This  chapter  ends  that  section  of  the  book  which  began 
with  the  twelfth  chapter.  And  it  is  a  fitting  conclusion,  this 
great  lamentation  over  the  Princes  of  Israel,  and  over  the 
land  of  Judah.  The  English  translation  does  not  do  justice 
to  the  original  Hebrew;  the  outburst  of  lamentation  is  writ- 
ten in  a  poetic  form,  some  kind  of  an  elegy.  The  lamenta- 
tion has  two  sections. 

I.    The  Lamentations  over  the  Princes  of  Israel. 

Moreover  take  thou  up  a  lamentation  for  the  princes  of  Israel. 
And  say.  What  is  thy  mother?     A  lioness:    she  lay  down  among 


130  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

lions,  she  nourished  her  whelps  among  young  lions.  And  she 
brought  up  one  of  her  whelps:  it  became  a  young  lion,  and  it  learned 
to  catch  the  prey;  it  devoured  men.  The  nations  also  heard  of  him; 
he  was  taken  in  their  pit,  and  they  brought  him  with  chains  unto 
the  land  of  Egypt.  Now  when  she  saw  that  she  had  waited,  and 
her  hope  was  lost,  then  she  took  another  of  her  whelps,  and  made 
him  a  young  lion.  And  he  went  up  and  down  among  the  lions, 
he  became  a  young  lion,  and  learned  to  catch  the  prey,  and  de- 
voured men.  And  he  knew  their  desolate  palaces,  and  he  laid 
waste  their  cities;  and  the  land  was  desolate,  and  the  fulness 
thereof,  by  the  noise  of  his  roaring.  Then  the  nations  set  against 
him  on  every  side  from  the  provinces,  and  spread  their  net  over 
him:  he  was  taken  in  their  pit.  And  they  put  him  in  ward  in 
chains,  and  brought  him  to  the  king  of  Babylon:  they  brought 
him  into  holds,  that  his  voice  should  no  more  be  heard  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel  (verses  1-9). 

The  lamentation  is  not  the  lamentation  of  Ezekiel,  as  so 
many  expositors  state,  but  it  is  the  lamentation  of  Jehovah, 
the  same  who  later  wept  over  the  same  city  and  lamented 
over  her  coming  fate.  The  words  of  divine  lament  were  put 
into  the  mouth  of  the  Prophet. 

The  Princes  are  Jehoahaz  and  Jehoachin.  King  Jehoahaz 
and  his  fate,  being  carried  away  captive  into  Egypt  (2  Kings 
xxiii:33)  is  lamented  in  verses  1-4.  King  Jehoiachin  who 
was  taken  as  a  captive  to  Babylon  is  lamented  in  verses  5-9. 
In  Ezekiel,  however,  the  word  King  is  not  used;  the  Kings  are 
always  called  princes.  The  second  verse  may  be  rendered  as 
follows : 

"Thy  mother  was  like  a  lioness,  among  lions. 

"She  couched  amid  the  young  lions,  she  reared  the  whelps." 

The  mother  is  Judah.  Of  this  Jacob  had  spoken  in  his 
prophecy.  "Judah  is  a  lion's  whelp"  (Gen.  xlix:9).  And 
Balaam  in  his  prophetic  utterances  speaks  in  the  same  tones 
of  the  nation.  "Behold,  the  people  shall  rise  up  as  a  great 
lion,  and  lift  up  himself  as  a  young  lion"  (Num.  xxiv:14). 
This  prophecy  will  be  fulfilled  in  the  future  when  He  appears 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  131 

in  power  and  glory  to  receive  the  Kingdom,  for  He  is  called 
"the  lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah"  (Rev.  v:5).  And  the  people 
will  then  be  as  a  converted  and  restored  people  the  same, 
what  the  lion  is  among  the  animals,  the  Kingly  nation.  In 
Isaiah  xxix:l  Jerusalem  is  caljed  "Ariel,"  which  means  "Lion 
of  God."  The  whelps,  the  nations  heard  of,  are  the  sons  of  the 
House  of  David.  And  Jehoahaz  "devoured  men"  and  did 
evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  and  was  carried  away  by  Pharaoh 
Necho  as  a  captive  into  Egypt.  Some  expositors  think 
that  the  lioness  is  the  wife  of  Josiah  the  mother  of  Jehoahaz, 
because  she  was  a  woman  of  much  importance  and  great 
influence  (Jer.  xiii:18;   2  Kings  ii:9;   xxiv:12). 

The  other  one  of  her  whelps  mentioned  in  verse  5,  whom 
the  lioness,  Judah,  made  a  young  lion,  that  is  a  King,  was 
Jehoiachin.  Jehoiachin  was  made  King,  when  all  hope  of  a 
return  of  Jehoahaz  was  lost,  and  the  new  King  also  "devoured 
men,"  did  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord.  "And  he  did  that 
which  was  evil  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  according  to  all  that 
his  fathers  had  done"  (2  Kings  xxiv:90.  In  verse  7  the  word 
"palaces"  should  be  changed  to  "widows."  The  verse  des- 
cribes the  cruelties  and  wicked  deeds  of  the  King.  Then 
judgment  overtook  him.  Under  him  the  first  deportation 
to  Babylon  took  place,  in  which  the  Prophet  Ezekiel  was  in- 
cluded. "And  he  (Nebuchadnezzar)  carried  away  Jehoiachin 
to  Babylon,  and  the  King's  mother,  and  the  King's  wife,  and 
his  officers,  and  the  mighty  of  the  land,  those  carried  he  into 
captivity  from  Jerusalem  to  Babylon"  (2  Kings  xxiv:14). 
The  correct  rendering  of  the  next  part  of  verse  9  is :  "And  they 
put  him  in  a  cage  with  hooks  and  brought  him  to  the  King  of 
Babylon."  Both  Kings  deserved  their  fate.  God  had 
warned,  and  as  they  continued  in  wickedness  judgment  fell 
upon  them.  And  it  was  a  warning  to  Zedekiah  who  was 
soon  to  share  the  same  fate.  In  view  of  the  violence  which 
is  on  the  earth  now,  the  wickedness  which  is  seen  on  all  sides, 


132  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

these  judgments  of  the  past  may  well  be  remembered.  God 
is  the  same  to-day  as  He  was  of  old.  He  must  deal  in  judg- 
ment with  sin;  in  many  parts  of  the  holy  Scriptures  we  read 
of  the  time  when  God  will  keep  not  silence,  but  deal  with 
conditions  on  the  earth  according  to  His  righteousness. 

n.  The  Lamentation  over  the  Land  of  Judah. 

Thy  mother  is  like  a  vine  in  thy  blood,  planted  by  the  waters; 
she  was  fruitful  and  full  of  branches  by  reason  of  many  waters. 
And  she  had  strong  rods  for  the  sceptres  of  them  that  bare  rule,  and 
her  stature  was  exalted  among  the  thick  branches,  and  she  appeared 
in  her  height  with  the  multitude  of  her  branches.  But  she  was 
plucked  up  in  fury,  she  was  cast  down  to  the  ground,  and  the  east 
wind  dried  up  her  fruit;  her  strong  rods  were  broken  and  withered; 
the  fire  consumed  them.  And  now  she  is  planted  in  the  wilderness, 
in  a  dry  and  thirsty  ground.  And  fire  is  gone  out  of  a  rod  of  her 
branches,  which  hath  devoured  her  fruit,  so  that  she  hath  no  strong 
rod  to  be  a  sceptre  to  rule.  This  is  a  lamentation,  and  shall  be 
for  a  lamentation     (verses  10-14). 

Judah  typified  by  a  vine  is  not  a  new  figure  in  Ezekiel* 
See  chapters  xv:l-5;  xvii:6-10.  The  statement  here  re- 
minds us  also  of  Psalm  lxxx:8-ll.  Many  were  the  blessings 
Judah  enjoyed,  like  a  vine  planted  by  the  waters,  fruitful 
and  full  of  branches.  The  eleventh  verse  describes  the 
period  of  Judah's  greatest  prosperity  under  David  and  Solo- 
mon. Then  the  judgment  which  comes  upon  the  land,  the 
east  wind  is  typical  of  the  Chaldeans  which  swept  from  the 
East  and  spoiled  the  vine.  The  fire  of  divine  wrath  burned  in 
their  midst.  Her  exilic  judgment  is  pictured  in  the  next  verse: 
"And  now  she  is  planted  in  the  wilderness,  in  a  dry  and 
thirsty  land."  And  the  fire  of  judgment  came  out  of  a  rod  of 
her  branches,  that  is,  the  judgment  came  upon  them  on  ac- 
count of  their  wicked  Kings.  Thus  ends  the  sorrowful  lam- 
entation over  the  princes  and  the  land  of  Judah.  But  there 
is  a  better  future  in  store  for  the  land  and  the  people,  a 
future  which  can  only  be  realized  in  Him,  who  said,  "I  am 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  133 

the  true  vine."  Israel  still  is  under  the  rod,  but  in  God's 
own  time  the  curse  will  give  way  to  the  promised  blessing, 
for  God's  gifts  and  calling  are  without  repentance. 

FURTHER  AND  FINAL  PREDICTIONS  CONCERNING 
THE  JUDGMENT  OF  JERUSALEM. 

Chapter  xx. 

With  this  chapter  we  enter  upon  the  last  prophecies 
given  through  the  prophet  before  the  fall  of  the  City  of 
Jerusalem.  There  is  first  an  arraignment  of  the  unfaithful 
nation.  This  is  followed  by  the  divine  announcement  that 
the  sword  of  the  Lord  is  now  to  be  drawn  to  do  its  judgment 
work.  The  twenty-first  chapter,  in  which  this  announcement 
is  made,  has  been  called  the  sword-song.  In  chapter  xxii 
another  arraignment  of  the  people  and  the  sins  of  Jerusalem 
is  given  and  the  corruption  of  all  classes,  prophets,  priests, 
princes  and  the  mass  of  people  is  described.  Once  more  in 
chapter  xxiii  the  wickedness  and  vileness  of  Samaria  and 
Judah  is  uncovered,  corresponding  to  the  similar  message 
in  chapter  xvl.  The  last  prophetic  message  of  this  cycle  was 
given  on  the  day  when  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  began.  On 
the  same  day  Ezekiel's  wife  died;  the  prophet  was  com- 
manded not  to  mourn.  All  this  has  a  meaning  in  connection 
with  Jerusalem's  complete  fall.  Thus  God  waited  and  waited 
for  the  repentance  of  His  people  and  sent  these  burning  mes- 
sages to  them  till  at  last  there  was  no  remedy  and  judgment 
had  to  come. 

I.  A  Retrospect  of  the  Nation's  Sins. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  seventh  year,  in  the  fifth  month,  the 
tenth  day  of  the  month,  that  certain  of  the  elders  of  Israel  came  to 
enquire  of  the  Lord  and  sat  before  me.  Then  came  the  word  of  the 
Lord  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  speak  unto  the  elders  of  Israel, 
and  say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;   Are  ye  come  to  en- 


134  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

quire  of  me?  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  v/ill  not  be  enquired 
of  by  you.  Wilt  thou  judge  them,  son  of  man,  wilt  thou  judge 
them?  cause  them  to  know  the  abominations  of  their  fathers:  And 
say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  In  the  day  when  I  chose 
Israel,  and  lifted  up  mine  hand  unto  the  seed  of  the  house  of  Jacob, 
and  made  myself  known  unto  them  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  when  I 
lifted  up  mine  hand  unto  them,  saying,  I  am  the  Lord  your  God; 
In  the  day  that  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  unto  them  to  bring  them  forth 
of  the  land  of  Egypt  into  a  land  that  I  had  espied  for  them,  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey,  which  is  the  glory  of  all  lands;  Then  said  I 
unto  them.  Cast  ye  away  every  man  the  abominations  of  his  eyes, 
and  defile  not  yourselves  with  the  idols  of  Egypt:  I  am  the  Lord 
your  God.  But  they  rebelled  against  me,  and  would  not  hearken 
unto  me:  they  did  not  every  man  cast  away  the  abominations  of 
their  eyes,  neither  did  they  forsake  the  idols  of  Egypt:  then  I  said, 
I  will  pour  out  my  fury  upon  them,  to  accomplish  my  anger  against 
them  in  the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  But  I  wrought  for  my 
name's  sake,  that  it  should  not  be  polluted  before  the  heathen, 
among  whom  they  were,  in  whose  sight  I  made  myself  known  unto 
them,  in  bringing  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  (verses  1-9). 

There  is  first  a  review  of  the  nation's  sin  in  Egypt.  At 
the  time  given  in  the  first  verse  the  elders  came  to  the 
prophet  to  enquire  of  the  Lord.  Outwardly  it  seemed  as  if 
these  enquiring  elders  were  sincere  and  came  in  the  spirit 
of  humility  acknowledging  the  prophet's  authority.  But 
the  Lord  knoweth  the  heart;  He  read  their  innermost 
thoughts  and  knew  that  their  inquiry  was  only  a  sham;  the 
real  heart  exercise  in  true  repentance  was  lacking.  So  He 
tells  them  through  the  prophet,  "As  I  live — I  will  not  be 
inquired  of  by  you.  Wilt  thou  judge  them,  son  of  man, 
wilt  thou  judge  them.^  Cause  them  to  know  the  abomina- 
tions of  their  fathers."  Instead  of  giving  them  a  message 
of  comfort  and  encouragement,  Ezekiel,  here  addressed 
again  as  son  of  man,  is  commanded  to  judge  them,  that  is 
to  put  before  them  their  sins  and  to  pronounce  judgment 
upon  the  nation.  The  same  phrase  is  found  twice  more 
in  this  section.     "Now,  thou  son  of  man,  wilt  thou  judge, 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  135 

wilt  thou  judge  the  bloody  city?  Yea  thou  shalt  show 
her  all  her  abominations"  (xxii:2).  See  also  xxiii:36.  And 
.first  of  all  the  prophet  had  to  show  them  the  nation's  sins 
in  Egypt.  He  had  chosen  them  as  a  nation;  He  had  made 
Himself  known  to  them  in  Egypt  and  had  lifted  up  His 
hand  unto  them  saying,  "I  am  the  Lord  your  God."  He  had 
entered  into  covenant  relations  with  Israel  and  pledged 
Himself  to  bring  them  out  of  Egypt  into  the  land,  which 
here  is  called  "the  glory  of  all  lands."  From  verses  7  and  8 
we  learn  that  Israel  was  contaminated  by  the  idol  worship  of 
Egypt  and  a  holy  God  was  ready  to  pour  upon  them  His 
fury  in  the  midst  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  But  sovereign 
mercy  prevailed  and  instead  of  making  Himself  known  to 
the  nation  in  judgment,  He  made  Himself  known  in  bringing 
them  forth  out  of  Egypt. 

Wherefore  I  caused  them  to  go  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt, 
and  brought  them  into  the  wilderness.  And  I  gave  them  my 
statutes,  and  showed  them  my  judgments,  which  if  a  man  do,  he 
shall  even  live  in  them.  Moreover  also  I  gave  them  my  sabbaths, 
to  be  a  sign  between  me  and  them,  that  they  might  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  that  sanctify  them.  But  the  house  of  Israel  rebelled 
against  me  in  the  wilderness:  they  walked  not  in  my  statutes,  and 
they  despised  my  judgments,  which  if  a  man  do,  he  shall  even  live 
in  them;  and  my  sabbaths  they  greatly  polluted:  then  I  said, 
I  would  pour  out  my  fury  upon  them  in  the  wilderness,  to  con- 
sume them.  But  I  wrought  for  my  name's  sake,  that  it  should  not 
be  polluted  before  the  heathen,  in  whose  sight  I  brought  them  out. 
Yet  also  I  lifted  up  my  hand  unto  them  in  the  wilderness,  that  I 
would  not  bring  them  into  the  land  which  I  had  given  them,  flowing 
with  milk  and  honey,  which  is  the  glory  of  all  lands.  Because 
they  despised  my  judgments,  and  walked  not  in  my  statutes,  but 
polluted  my  sabbaths:  for  their  heart  went  after  their  idols. 
Nevertheless  mine  eye  spared  them  from  destroying  them,  neither 
did  I  make  an  end  of  them  in  the  wilderness  (verses  10-17). 

In  these  verses  we  have  the  history  of  the  first  generation 
in  the  wilderness.     His  hand  brought  them  out  of  the  land 


136  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

of  Egypt  into  the  wilderness  and  there  He  gave  them  the 
law  and  the  different  sabbaths,  the  feasts  of  Jehovah. 
Their  sins  and  failures  in  the  wilderness  are  briefly  sketched. 
They  rebelled;  they  were  disobedient;  they  despised  His 
judgments  and  polluted  His  sabbaths.  Then  comes  the 
statement  that  this  first  generation  was  not  to  enter  into 
the  land  promised  unto  them.  Again  in  sovereign  mercy 
He  spared  them  and  did  not  make  a  complete  end  of  them  in 
the  wilderness. 

But  I  said  unto  their  children  in  the  wilderness,  Walk  ye  not  in  the 
statutes  of  your  fathers,  neither  observe  their  judgments,  nor  defile 
yourselves  with  their  idols:  I  am  the  Lord  your  God;  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them;  And  hallow  my 
sabbaths;  and  they  shall  be  a  sign  between  me  and  you,  that  ye 
may  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  your  God.  Notwithstanding  the 
children  rebelled  against  me:  they  walked  not  in  my  statutes, 
neither  kept  my  judgments  to  do  them,  which  if  a  man  do,  he 
shall  even  live  in  them;  they  polluted  my  sabbaths:  then  I  said, 
I  would  pour  out  my  fury  upon  them,  to  accomplish  my  anger 
against  them  in  the  wilderness.  Nevertheless  I  withdrew  mine 
hand,  and  wrought  for  my  name's  sake,  that  it  should  not  be  pol- 
luted in  the  sight  of  the  heathen,  in  whose  sight  I  brought  them 
forth.  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  unto  them  also  in  the  wilderness, 
that  I  would  scatter  them  among  the  heathen,  and  disperse  them 
through  the  countries;  Because  they  had  not  executed  my  judg- 
ments, but  had  despised  my  statutes,  and  had  polluted  my  sab- 
baths, and  their  eyes  were  after  their  fathers'  idols.  Wherefore 
I  gave  them  also  statutes  that  were  not  good,  and  judgments  where- 
by they  should  not  live;  And  I  polluted  them  in  their  own  gifts, 
in  that  they  caused  to  pass  through  the  fire  all  that  openeth  the 
womb,  that  I  might  make  them  desolate,  to  the  end  that  they  might 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses    lS-26). 

And  now  the  record  of  the  second  generation  in  the 
wilderness  is  brought  to  their  notice.  They  were  just  as 
rebellious  as  their  fathers,  who  fell  in  the  wilderness.  They 
also  were  worshippers  of  idols  in  the  wilderness,  besides 
offering  sacrifices  and  offerings  unto  Jehovah  (Amos  v:25-27). 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  137 

The  statement  in  verse  25  "wherefore  I  gave  them  also 
statutes  that  were  not  good,  and  judgments  whereby  they 
should  not  live,"  has  been  explained  in  different  ways.  It 
cannot  mean  the  law,  for  that  is  holy,  just  and  good.  "The 
solution  is  due  to  the  simple  principle  that  God  in  His 
government  chastens  His  guilty  people  retributively  and 
calls  the  scourges  His  own,  even  when  the  instruments  may 
be  wholly  foreign  to  His  mind  and  heart."  They  were 
disobedient  to  His  statutes  and  then  in  punishment  for  their 
sins  He  let  them  go  into  the  terrible  worship  of  Moloch,  in 
casting  their  first-born  into  the  fire  as  a  sacrifice  to  the 
idol-god.  It  is  the  same  principle  here  as  in  Romans  i:26-28. 
God  gave  them  up  in  every  way  after  they  had  turned  away 
from  Him.     It  was  a  punishment  for  their  sins. 

II.  Their  Sins  in  the  Land. 

Therefore,  son  of  man,  speak  unto  the  house  of  Israel,  and  say 
unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Yet  in  this  your  fathers  have 
blasphemed  me,  •;  'bat  they  have  committed  a  trespass  against  me. 
For  when  I  had  brought  them  into  the  land,  for  the  which  I  lifted  up 
mine  hand  to  give  it  to  them,  then  they  saw  every  high  hill,  and  all 
the  thick  trees,  and  they  offered  there  their  sacrifices,  and  there 
they  presented  the  provocation  of  their  offering:  there  also  they 
made  their  sweet  savour,  and  poured  out  there  their  drink  offerings. 
Then  I  said  unto  them,  What  is  the  high  place  whereunto  ye  go? 
And  the  name  thereof  is  called  Bamah  unto  this  day.  Wherefore 
say  unto  the  house  of  Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Are  ye 
polluted  after  the  manner  of  your  fathers?  and  commit  ye  whore- 
dom after  their  abominations?  For  when  ye  offer  your  gifts, 
when  ye  make  your  sons  to  pass  through  the  fire,  ye  pollute  your- 
selves with  all  your  idols,  even  unto  this  day:  and  shall  I  be 
enquired  of  by  you,  O  house  of  Israel?  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord 
God,  I  will  not  be  enquired  of  by  you.  And  that  which  cometh  into 
your  mind  shall  not  be  at  all,  that  ye  say,  We  will  be  as  the  heathen, 
as  the  families  of  the  countries,  to  serve  wood  and  stone 
(verses  27-32). 

According  to  His  promise  He  brought  thern  into  the  land. 


138  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

He  did  not  go  back  on  His  Word,  in  spite  of  their  failure, 
for  God's  gifts  and  calling  are  without  repentance.  And 
thus  they  continued  in  their  evil  ways,  committing  all 
manner  of  abominations.  And  therefore  the  Lord  said  to 
the  inquiring  elders,  "And  shall  I  be  enquired  of  by  you,  O 
house  of  Israel.^  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  not 
be  enquired  of  by  you."  Verse  32  shows  that  in  the  iniquity 
of  their  heart  they  wanted  to  be  like  the  heathen  to  serve 
wood  and  stone;  but  God  would  take  care  that  this  should 
not  be,  for  He  had  chosen  them  to  be  His  nation. 

III.  Judgment  and  Mercy  in  Future  Restoration. 

As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  surely  with  a  mighty  hand,  and 
with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  fury  poured  out,  will  I  rule 
over  you.  And  I  will  bring  you  cut  from  the  people,  and  will 
gather  you  out  of  the  countries  wherein  ye  are  scattered,  with  a 
mighty  hand,  and  with  a  stretched  out  arm,  and  with  fury  poured 
out.  And  I  will  bring  you  into  the  wilderness  of  the  people,  and 
there  will  I  plead  with  you  face  to  face.  Like  as  I  pleaded  with 
your  fathers  in  the  wilderness  of  the  land  o-  ^■^  -  ,  so  will  I  plead 
with  you,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  I  will  cause  you  to  pass  under 
the  rod,  and  I  will  bring  you  into  the  bond  of  the  covenant: 
And  I  will  purge  out  from  among  you  the  rebels,  and  them  that 
transgress  against  me:  I  will  bring  them  forth  out  of  the  country 
where  they  sojourn,  and  they  shall  not  enter  into  the  land  of  Israel: 
and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  As  for  you,  O  house  of 
Israel,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Go  ye,  serve  ye  every  one  his  idols, 
and  hereafter  also,  if  ye  will  not  hearken  unto  me:  but  pollute  ye 
my  holy  name  no  more  with  your  gifts,  and  with  your  idols.  For 
in  mine  holy  mountain,  in  the  mountain  of  the  height  of  Israel, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  there  shall  all  the  house  of  Israel,  all  of  them  in 
the  land,  serve  me:  there  will  I  accept  them,  and  there  will  I  re- 
quire your  offerings,  and  the  first  fruits  of  your  oblations,  with  all 
your  holy  things.  I  will  accept  you  with  your  sweet  savour,  when 
I  bring  you  out  from  the  people,  and  gather  you  out  of  the  coun- 
tries wherein  ye  have  been  scattered;  and  I  will  be  sanctilied  in 
you  before  the  heathen.  And  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord, 
when  I  shall  bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel,  into  the  country  for 
the  which  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  to  give  it  to  your  fathers.     And 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  139 

there  shall  ye  remember  your  ways,  and  all  your  doings,  wherein 
ye  have  been  defiled;  and  ye  shall  lothe  yourselves  in  your  own  sight 
for  all  your  evils  that  ye  have  committed.  And  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  wrought  with  you  for  my  name's 
sake,  not  according  to  your  wicked  ways,  nor  according  to  your 
corrupt  doings,  O  ye  house  of  Israel,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  33-44). 

In  this  paragraph  we  read  of  their  future  punishment 
and  also  of  the  mercy  which  is  in  store  for  the  believing 
remnant  of  the  nation  in  the  future  restoration,  of  which 
all  the  prophets  of  God  have  spoken.  In  the  wilderness  of 
people,  their  dispersion  among  all  the  nations  of  the  world, 
He  will  plead  with  them  and  bring  them  under  the  rod. 
The  rebels  will  be  purged  out  from  the  nation  and  they  shall 
not  enter  into  the  land  of  Israel.  In  verses  40-44  we  have 
a  prophecy  concerning  their  true  restoration.  They  will  be 
accepted,  brought  back  and  gathered  out  from  all  the 
countries  and  brought  into  the  land  of  Israel,  as  God  has 
promised  them.  Then  the  remnant  of  Israel  will  remember 
their  ways  and  repent  of  their  evil. 

IV.  The  Forest  Consumed  by  Fire. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying,  Son  of  man, 
«et  thy  face  toward  the  south,  and  drop  thy  word  toward  the  south, 
and  prophesy  against  the  forest  of  the  south  field;  And  say  to  the 
forest  of  the  south.  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord;  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  kindle  a  fire  in  thee,  and  it  shall  devour 
every  green  tree  in  thee,  and  every  dry  tree:  the  flaming  flame 
shall  not  be  quenched,  and  all  faces  from  the  south  to  the  north  shall 
be  burned  therein.  And  all  flesh  shall  see  that  I  the  Lord  have 
kindled  it:  it  shall  nor  be  quenched.  Then  said  I,  Ah  Lord  God! 
they  say  of  me,  Doth  he  not  speak  parables  (verses  45-49). 

It  is  a  parable.  The  forest  of  the  south  field  is  Judea; 
its  complete  and  terrible  conquest  is  here  again  predicted. 
The  fire  of  judgment  is  to  sweep  through  it,  like  a  mighty 
forest  fire  which  cannot  be  quenched.     And  when  Ezekiel 


140  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

had  faithfully  delivered  his  message,  his  hearers  said,  "Doth 
he  not  speak  in  parables?"     They  refused  to  understand. 

THE  IMPENDING   JUDGMENT. 

Chapter  xxi. 

"Then  said  I,  Oh,  Lord  God!  they  say  of  me,  Doth  he 
not  speak  in  parables?"  This  is  the  last  verse  of  the  pre- 
ceding chapter.  It  showed  the  hardened  conditions  of 
their  hearts,  which  rejected  the  Word  of  God,  the  word  of 
warning  and  the  call  to  repentance.  These  sad  conditions 
of  the  people  in  Ezekiel's  day  are  deeply  significant  for  our 
times.  We  see  the  outwardly  professing  people  of  God, 
the  large  numbers  of  unsaved,  nominal  Christians  in  the 
same  hardened  condition.  Though  God  speaks  loudly, 
the  Word  is  not  heeded.  A  stronger  judgment  message  fol- 
lows in  which  the  sword  of  the  Lord  is  prominent.  Critics 
have  acknowledged  the  majestic  character  of  the  so-called 
"Song  of  the  Sword,"  and  say  that  the  prophet  now  speaks 
in  "maddened  frenzy,"  carried  away  by  his  own  passion, 
breaking  out,  "in  a  state  of  wild  excitement,"  denouncing 
the  nation.  But  it  is  not  the  prophet  who  gives  way  to 
his  own  feeling.  The  first  verse  dispels  at  once  such  a  con- 
ception. "And  the  Word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  say- 
ing:"  It  is  the  Lord  who  speaks  through  Ezekiel. 

I.  The  Sword  to  be  Drawn. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  set 
thy  face  toward  Jerusalem,  and  drop  thy  word  toward  the  holy 
places,  and  prophesy  against  the  land  of  Israel.  And  say  to  the 
land  of  Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord;  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  and 
will  draw  forth  my  sword  out  of  his  sheath,  and  will  cut  off  from  thee 
the  righteous  and  the  wicked.  Seeing  then  that  I  will  cut  off  from 
thee  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  therefore  shall  my  sword  go  forth 
out  of  his  sheath  against  all  flesh  from  the  south  to  the  north: 
Thiat  all  flesh  may  know  that  I  the  Lord  have  drawn  forth  my  sword 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  141 

out  of  his  sheath:  it  shall  not  return  any  more.  Sigh,  therefore, 
thou  son  of  man,  with  the  breaking  of  thy  loins;  and  with  bitterness 
sigh  before  their  eyes.  And  it  shall  be,  when  they  say  unto  thee. 
Wherefore  sighest  thou?  that  thou  shall  answer.  For  the  tidings, 
because  it  cometh:  and  every  heart  shall  melt,  and  all  hands  shall 
be  feeble,  and  every  spirit  shall  faint,  and  all  knees  shall  be  weak 
as  water:  behold,  it  cometh,  and  shall  be  brought  to  pass,  saith 
the  Lord  God  (verses  1-7). 

A  fearful  word  it  is  coming  from  the  lips  of  Jehovah,  who 
had  yearned  over  Jerusalem  and  the  nation,  "Behold,  I  am 
against  thee,  and  will  draw  forth  my  sword  out  of  its  sheath, 
and  will  cut  off  from  thee  the  righteous  and  the  wicked."  It 
was  to  be  an  indiscriminate  execution  of  God's  judgment, 
those  who  claimed  righteousness  were  to  fall  under  the 
sword  of  vengeance  like  the  wicked.  It  was  to  be  a  wide- 
spread judgment.  "My  sword  shall  go  forth  out  of  its  sheath 
against  all  flesh — that  all  flesh  may  know  that  I  the  Lord 
have  drawn  forth  my  sword  out  of  its  sheath;  it  shall  not 
return  any  more."  While  here  it  refers  to  all  the  nations, 
to  Jerusalem  as  well  as  to  Judea,  there  are  other  prophecies 
which  include  under  the  term  "all  flesh"  the  Gentile  nations 
as  well.  "For  by  fire  and  by  His  sword  will  the  Lord 
plead  with  all  flesh,  and  the  slain  of  the  Lord  shall  be  many" 
(Isa.  lxvi:16).  Fear  and  the  pit,  and  the  snare,  are  upon 
thee,  O  inhabitant  of  the  earth"  (Isa.  xxiv:17).  This 
will  be  at  the  close  of  the  present  age.  And  do  not  the 
events  in  the  world  to-day  indicate  the  rapid  approach 
of  the  judgment  sword  .^ 

And  God's  servant  was  commanded  to  sigh  with  bitter- 
ness before  their  eyes.  He  was  to  tell  them  the  reason  of 
his  agony.  "Because  It  cometh;  and  my  heart  shall  melt, 
and  all  hands  shall  be  feeble,  and  every  spirit  shall  faint, 
and  all  knees  shall  be  weak  as  water.  Behold  it  cometh 
and  shall  be  brought  to  pass,  saith  the  Lord  God."  It  was 
not  the  time  for  rejoicing,  but  for  weeping  and  sighing. 


142  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  prophet  was  called  upon  to  show  forth  in  his  behavior 
the  solemn  days  which  were  now  to  come.  And  our  Lord 
has  pred  cted  for  our  age  upon  earth  distress  of  nations, 
with  perplexity;  the  sea  and  the  waves  thereof  roaring. 
"Men's  hearts  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after 
those  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth,  for  the  powers 
of  heaven  shall  be  shaken"  (Luke  xxi:25-26).  But  how 
little  sighing  with  bitterness  there  is  to-day  among  God's 
servants  in  view  of  what  is  in  store  for  an  ungodly  and 
unbelieving  age! 

II.  The  Sharpening  of  the   Sword. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
prophesy,  and  say.  Thus  saith  the  Lord;  Say,  A  sword,  a  sword  is 
sharpened,  and  also  furbished:  It  is  sharpened  to  make  a  sore 
slaughter;  it  is  furbished  that  it  may  glitter:  should  we  then  make 
mirth.?  it  contemneth  the  rod  of  my  son,  as  every  tree.  And  he  hath 
given  it  to  be  furbished,  that  it  may  be  handled:  this  sword  is  shar- 
pened, and  it  is  furbished,  to  give  it  into  the  hand  of  the  slayer. 
Cry  and  howl,  son  of  man;  for  it  shall  be  upon  my  people,  it  shall 
be  upon  all  the  princes  of  Israel:  terrors  by  reason  of  the  sword 
shall  be  upon  my  people:  smite  therefore  upon  thy  thigh.  Because 
it  is  a  trial,  and  what  if  the  sword  contemn  even  the  rod?  it  shall  be 
no  more,  saith  the  Lord  God.  Thou,  therefore,  son  of  man,  pro- 
phesy, and  smite  thine  hands  together,  and  let  the  sword  be  doubled 
the  third  time,  the  sword  of  the  slain:  it  is  the  sword  of  the  great 
men  that  are  slain,  which  entereth  into  their  privy  chambers. 
I  have  set  the  point  of  the  sword  against  all  their  gates,  that  their 
heart  may  faint,  and  their  ruins  be  multiplied:  ah!  it  is  made  bright, 
it  is  wrapped  up  for  the  slaughter.  Go  thee  one  way  or  other,  either 
on  the  right  hand,  or  on  the  left,  whithersoever  thy  face  is  set. 
I  will  also  smite  mine  hands  together,  and  I  will  cause  my  fury  to 
rest:   I  the  Lord  have  said  it  (verses  8-17). 

The  sword  of  judgment  is  now  described  as  being  prepared 
for  the  slaughter.  How  all  this  should  have  a  meaning  for 
us  at  the  present  time.  All  the  nations  of  the  earth,  who 
boasted   but  yesterday  of  a  civilization  which   makes  for 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  143 

righteousness  and  peace,  are  either  at  war  or  are  preparing 
for  war.  May  we  not  see  behind  it  all  the  sword  of  the  Lord  ? 
Has  He  not  begun  judgment  among  those  nations?  The 
threatening  vengeance  of  the  Lord  will  ere  long  fall  upon 
this  age  which  so  long  as  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  wooings 
of  His  love.  And  the  question  here  is  asked,  "Should  we 
then  make  mirth?"  Is  this  the  time  of  mirth,  worldly 
enjoyment  and  indifference?  Not  for  God's  people  who 
discern  the  signs  of  the  times  and  who  know  from  the  Word 
of  God  the  coming  events.  The  place  for  us  is  in  "Bochim" 
(Judges  ii:4-5.  "Bochim"  means  "Weeping.")  The  time 
of  the  sharpening  of  the  sword  is  the  time  for  His  people 
to  trim  their  lamps,  for  earnest  heart-searching  and  prayer. 
The  character  of  the  unsaved,  nominal  "Christian"  masses 
is  also  being  clearly  revealed.  They  show  what  they  are, 
"lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God."  Though  the 
sword  is  being  drawn  and  sharpened,  they  are  given  to 
mirth  and  pleasure,  like  the  company  described  in  1  Sam. 
xxx:16.  The  sword  of  judgment  will  find  them  in  their 
merry-making  and  will  change  all  into  weeping  and  gnashing 
of  teeth. 

Again  the  prophet  is  commanded  to  cry  and  to  howl,  to 
smite  upon  his  thigh  and  to  smite  his  hands  together,  in 
view  of  the  coming  terrors  of  judgment.  And  solemnly  the 
Lord  saith,  "I  will  also  smite  mine  hands  together,  and  I 
will  satisfy  my  fury." 

III.  The  King  of  Babylon  and  His  Divination. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  mc,  again  saying,  Also,  thou 
son  of  man,  appoint  thee  two  ways,  that  the  sword  of  the  king  of 
Babylon  may  come:  both  twain  shall  come  forth  out  of  one  land: 
and  choose  thou  a  place,  choose  it  at  the  head  of  the  way  to  the 
city.  Appoint  a  way,  that  the  sword  may  come  to  Rabbath  of  the 
Ammonites,  and  to  Judah  in  Jerusalem  the  defenced.  For  the  king 
of  Babylon  stood  at  the  parting  of  the  way,  at  the  head  of  the  two 


144  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

ways,  to  use  divination:  he  shook  his  arrows  to  and  fro,  he  con- 
sulted with  images,  he  looked  in  the  liver.  At  this  right  hand 
was  the  divination  for  Jerusalem,  to  appoint  captains,  to  open  the 
mouth  in  the  slaughter,  to  lift  up  the  voice  with  shouting,  to 
appoint  battering  rams  against  the  gates,  to  cast  a  mount,  and  to 
build  a  fort.  And  it  shall  be  unto  them  as  a  false  divination  in  their 
sight,  to  them  that  have  sworn  oaths:  but  he  will  call  to  remem- 
brance the  iniquity,  that  they  may  be  taken.  Therefore  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God:  Because  ye  have  made  your  iniquity  to  be 
remembered,  in  that  your  transgressions  are  discovered,  so  that 
in  all  your  doings  your  sins  do  appear;  because,  I  say,  that  ye  are 
come  to  remembrance,  ye  shall  be  taken  with  the  hand  (verses 
18-24). 

The  King  of  Babylon,  Nebuchadnezzar,  is  the  chosen  in- 
strument through  whom  the  drawn  and  sharpened  sword 
does  its  judgment  work.  He  is  seen  in  this  paragraph 
using  divination,  to  decide  if  he  should  go  to  Rabbath 
of  the  Ammonites  or  to  Judah  in  Jerusalem.  The  King 
is  standing  at  the  parting  of  the  way,  at  the  head  of  the 
two  ways.  First  he  used  the  arrows.  The  authorized 
version  is  faulty  in  its  translation;  it  is  not,  "he  made  his 
arrows  bright,"  hut  "he  shook  his  arrows  to  and  fro."  The 
Babylonians  used  all  kinds  of  enchantments,  sorceries,  as 
well  as  star-gazers,  astrologers,  etc.,  to  be  guided  in  their 
undertakings.  (See  Isa.  xlvii:8-15).  The  King  took  two 
arrows  and  put  upon  each  the  name  of  the  two  cities  men- 
tioned; they  were  then  shaken  in  the  quiver  and  one  was 
drawn  out.  He  also  used  images  (teraphim)  which  he  con- 
sulted and  looked  into  the  liver.  They  generally  killed  a 
sheep  and  imagined  that  the  different  lines  and  formation  of 
the  liver  gave  them  directions  what  to  do.  In  the  British 
Museum  there  is  Babylonian  clay  tablet  with  a  sheep's 
liver  covered  with  all  kinds  of  lines  and  oracles.  In  the 
twenty-second  verse  we  see  the  result  of  his  divinations. 
He  has  pulled  out  of  the  quiver  the  arrow  which  has  on  it 
the  word  "Jerusalem."    And  so  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  was 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  145 

prepared.  But  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem,  who  heard 
of  the  King's  divination,  branded  it  as  a  false  divination 
(verse  23).  They  still  hoped  that  all  attempts  made  by- 
Nebuchadnezzar  would  fail.  But  the  hand  of  God  was 
guiding  all,  and  in  the  last  verse  of  this  paragraph  (verse 
25)  the  Lord  announces  the  hopelessness  of  their  expecta- 
tions. 

IV.    The  Wicked  Prince  and  the  Coming  One. 

And  thou,  profane  wicked  prince  of  Israel,  whose  day  is  come, 
when  iniquity  shall  have  an  end,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Remove 
the  diadem,  and  take  off  the  crown:  this  shall  not  be  the  same: 
exalt  him  that  is  low,  and  abase  him  that  is  high.  I  will  overturn, 
overturn,  overturn  it:  and  it  shall  be  no  more,  until  he  come  whose 
right  it  is;   and  I  will  give  it  him  (verses  25-27). 

And  now  follows  a  most  interesting  utterance  of  the 
prophet  which  has  a  future  meaning.  There  can  be  no  ques- 
tion that  Zedekiah  is  first  of  all  in  view  as  the  profane  wicked* 
prince  of  Israel.  But  the  prophecy  looks  far  beyond  Zede- 
kiah. It  is  the  coming  wicked  prince,  the  one  who  comes 
in  his  own  name,  the  final  Antichrist,  the  false  Messiah, 
or,  as  he  is  also  called  in  Revelation,  the  false  prophet. 
That  verse  25  refers  to  the  time  of  the  end  is  seen  by  the 
words,  "in  the  time  of  the  iniquity  of  the  end"  (correct  trans- 
lation). The  same  phrase  appears  in  Dan.  xi:35-39,  "the 
time  of  the  end,"  and  the  person  described  in  that  passage 
is  the  Antichrist,  the  wicked  prince.  It  is  the  time  of  the 
future  great  tribulation  "when  the  transgressors  are  come 
to  the  full"  (Dan.  viii:23).  This  false  Christ  will  claim 
priestly  and  kingly  honors.  He  is  the  beast  out  of  the 
earth  (Rev.  xiii)  having  two  horns  like  a  lamb,  but  speak- 
ing as  a  dragon.     The  two  horns  represent  the  priesthood 


*Literal  translation  is,  "O  deadly  wounded  wicked  one,  the  Prince 
of  Israel," 


146  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and  the  kingship  he  assumes.  And  this  we  learn  from 
verse  26  is  the  character  of  the  wicked  prince  of  Israel  of 
whom  Ezekiel  speaks.  Again,  we  must  correct  the  faulty 
translation  of  the  authorized  version:  "Remove  the  mitre 
and  take  off  the  crown";  the  word  "diad^''  is  mitre,  the 
head-dress  of  the  high-priest  (Exod.  xxvn:45.  He  wears 
the  mitre  of  the  priest  and  the  crown  of  the  king.  He  is 
Satan's  final  counterfeit  (like  the  pope)  of  the  Priest-King. 
In  verse  27  the  overturning  times  are  mentioned.  Thrice 
it  is  stated,  "I  will  overturn."  Even  so  will  it  be  at  the  time 
of  the  end  until  He  comes  whose  right  it  is.  And  the  coming 
One,  who  will  exalt  what  is  low  and  abase  wliat  is  high,  who 
will  remove  the  mitre  and  the  crown  from  the  Antichrist, 
destroying  him  by  the  brightness  of  His  coming  (2  Thess.  ii) 
is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  interesting  to  see  that  there  is 
in  the  Hebrew  a  word  used  which  is  very  suggestive.  In 
Genesis  xlix:10  we  have  Christ  spoken  of  as  Shiloh.  The 
word  "until  He  come"  in  the  Hebrew  is  almost  the  same  as 
Shiloh;  it  is  Shelloh.  And  surely  the  overturning  times  are 
almost  upon  us,  and  soon  that  profane  wicked  Prince  may 
arise.  However,  we  do  not  wait  for  that  wicked  one;  we 
wait  for  the  Lord. 

V.    The  Judgment  to  Fall  Upon  Ammon. 

And  thou,  son  of  man,  prophesy  and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God 
concerning  the  Ammonites,  and  concerning  their  reproach;  even 
say  thou.  The  sword,  the  sword  is  drawn:  for  the  slaughter  it  is 
furbished,  to  consume  because  of  the  glittering:  While  they  see 
vanity  unto  thee,  while  they  divine  a  lie  unto  thee,  to  bring  thee 
upon  the  necks  of  them  that  are  slain,  of  the  wicked  whose  day  is 
come,  when  their  iniquity  shall  have  an  end.  Shall  I  cause  it  to 
return  into  his  sheath.^  I  will  judge  thee  in  the  place  where  thou 
wast  created,  in  the  land  of  thy  nativity.  And  I  will  pour  out 
mine  indignation  upon  thee;  I  will  blow  against  thee  in  the  fire  of 
my  wrath,  and  deliver  thee  into  the  hand  of  brutish  men,  and 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  147 

skillful^to^destroy.  Thou  shall  be  for  fuel  to  the  fire;  thy  blood 
shall  be  in  the  midst  of  the  land;  thou  shalt  be  no  more,  for  I  the 
Lord  have  spoken  it  (verses  28-32.) 

The  judgment  came  upon  the  Ammonites  is  threatened 
here.  But  it  must  not  be  overlooked  that  this  prophecy 
also  has  a  further  meaning,  for  the  same  words  "in  the  time 
of  the  iniquity  of  the  end"  (verse  29)  appears  here.  And 
yet  there  is  also  promised  for  the  future  a  restoration  of 
Ammon  (Jer.  xlix:6). 

JERUSALEM'S  ABOMINATIONS. 
Chapter  xxii. 

This  chapter  describes  again  the  sins  and  abominations  of 
Jerusalem.  Before  the  sharpened  sword  of  divine  justice 
and  retribution  does  its  dreadful  work,  the  Lord  uncovers 
the  guilt  and  vileness  of  the  city  and  lays  bare  the  corruption 
of  her  prophets,  priests  and  princes,  as  well  as  the  people. 

I.    The  Violence  and  Abominations  of  Jerusalem. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Now,  thou 
son  of  man,  wilt  thou  judge,  wilt  thou  judge  the  bloody  city?  yea, 
thou  shalt  shew  her  all  her  abominations.  Then  say  thou,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  The  city  sheddeth  blood  in  the  midst  of  it,  that 
her  time  may  come,  and  maketh  idols  against  herself  to  defile  her- 
self. Thou  art  become  guilty  in  thy  blood  that  thou  hast  shed; 
and  hast  defiled  thyself  in  thine  idols  which  thou  hast  made; 
and  thou  hast  caused  thy  days  to  draw  near,  and  art  come  even  unto 
thy  years:  therefore  have  I  made  thee  a  reproach  unto  the  heathen, 
and  a  mocking  to  all  countries.  Those  that  be  near,  and  those  that 
be  far  from  thee,  shall  mock  thee,  which  art  infamous  and  much 
vexed.  Behold,  the  princes  of  Israel,  every  one  were  in  thee  to 
their  power  to  shed  blood.  In  thee  have  they  set  light  by  father 
and  mother:  in  the  midst  of  thee  have  they  dealt  by  oppression 
with  the  stranger:  in  thee  have  they  vexed  the  fatherless  and  the 
widow.  Thou  hast  despised  mine  holy  things,  and  hast  profaned 
my  sabbaths.     In  thee  are  men  that  carry  tales  to  shed  blood: 


148  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and  in  thee  they  eat  upon  the  mountains:  in  the  midst  of  thee  they 
commit  lewdness.  In  thee  have  they  discovered  their  fathers' 
nakedness:  in  thee  have  they  humbled  her  that  was  set  apart  for 
pollution.  And  one  hath  committed  abomination  with  his 
neighbor's  wife;  and  another  hath  lewdly  defiled  his  daughter-in- 
law;  and  another  in  thee  hath  humbled  his  sister,  his  father's 
daughter.  In  thee  have  they  taken  gifts  to  shed  blood;  thou  hast 
taken  usury  and  increase,  and  thou  hast  greedily  gained  of  thy 
neighbors  by  extortion,  and  hast  forgotten  me,  saith  the  Lord  God. 
Behold,  therefore  I  have  smitten  mine  hand  at  thy  dishonest  gain 
which  thou  hast  made,  and  at  thy  blood  which  hath  been  in  the 
midst  of  thee.  Can  thine  heart  endure,  or  can  thine  hands  be  strong, 
in  the  days  that  I  shall  deal  with  thee?  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  It, 
and  will  do  it.  And  I  will  scatter  thee  among  the  heathen,  and  dis- 
perse thee  in  the  countries,  and  will  consume  thy  filthlness  out  of 
thee.  And  thou  shalt  take  thine  inheritance  in  thyself  in  the  sight 
of  the  heathen,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses 
1-16). 

Jerusalem  is  called  here  a  bloody  city  on  account  of  the 
deeds  of  violence  which  were  committed  in  her  midst.  Once 
it  was  a  faithful  city,  full  of  judgment  and  righteousness; 
but  she  had  become  an  harlot,  and  murderers  lodged  in  it 
(Isaiah  i:21).  The  prophets  and  the  righteous  had  been 
killed  in  her  midst.  And  He  who  sent  these  messages  of 
warning  and  impending  judgment,  who  waited  so  patiently 
for  Jerusalem's  repentance  and  the  return  of  His  people, 
came  in  the  fullness  of  time,  in  the  midst  of  His  people  and 
to  that  city.  Before  He  went  to  the  cross  of  Calvary,  where 
He  gave  Himself  and  where  also  Jerusalem's  bloodguiltiness 
was  fearfully  crowned  by  killing  the  Prince  of  Life  (Acts 
iii:15),  He  stood  before  that  city  with  tear-filled  eyes 
and  uttered  those  tender  and  never  to  be  forgotten  words: 
"0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  thou  that  killest  the  prophets 
and  stonest  them  which  are  sent  unto  thee,  how  often  would 
I  have  gathered  thy  children  together,  even  as  a  hen  gath- 
ered her  chickens  under  her  wings,  and  ye  would  not"  (Matt. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  149 

xxm:37).  And  Stephen  said,  "Which  of  the  prophets  have 
not  your  fathers  persecuted?  and  they  have  slain  them 
which  showed  before  of  the  coming  of  the  Just  One,  of  whom 
ye  have  been  now  the  betrayers  and  murderers"  (Acts  vii:52). 
"His  blood  be  upon  us  and  our  children"  was  their  awful 
cry,  when  the  bloody  city  delivered  Him  into  the  hands  of 
the  Gentiles,  and  ever  since  they  have  been,  Cain-like,  the 
homeless  wanderers  among  the  nations,  till  some  day  they 
will  acknowledge  their  bloodguiltiness  and  turn  to  Him. 
And  in  this  chapter  the  Lord  describes  all  her  violence 
and  abominations.  All  were  guilty  of  violence  and  the 
shedding  of  blood,  especially  the  princes,  the  Kings  of 
Judah.  (See  Jeremiah  xxvi:21  and  xxxviii:4,  etc.).  And 
inasmuch  as  they  had  turned  away  from  Jehovah  and 
worshipped  idols,  moral  corruption  and  the  vile  things 
man  is  capable  of  were  likewise  present. 

And  such  are  also  the  conditions  to-day  among  the  nations, 
which  profess  to  be  Christian;  violence  and  bloodshed, 
moral  corruption  and  abomination.  May  we  not  forget 
that  the  Lord,  who  knew  Jerusalem's  guilt  and  judged  her 
for  it,  is  the  same  to-day,  who  will  judge  the  violence  and 
the  abominations  on  the  earth  among  nations  whose  privi- 
leges have  been  even  greater  than  the  privileges  and  blessings 
of  Jerusalem.  "Thou  hast  forgotten  Me,"  was  Jehovah's 
accusation  against  the  city.  Had  they  remembered  Jeho- 
vah's kindness,  His  gracious  dealing  with  their  fathers, 
had  they  remembered  His  Word,  these  abominations  would 
not  have  come  to  pass.  And  the  source  of  the  violence,  the 
bloodshed,  the  moral  darkness  in  the  world  to-day,  is,  that 
the  nations  have  forgotten  God.  The  judgment  of  the  city 
is  again  announced. 

II.  The  Smelting  Furnace. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  the 
house  of  Israel  is  to  me  become  dross;  all  they  are  brass  and  tin  and 


150  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

iron  and  lead,  in  the  midst  of  the  furnace;  they  are  even  the  dross  of 
silver.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  ye  are  all  be- 
come dross,  behold,  therefore,  I  will  gather  you  into  the  midst  of 
Jerusalem.  As  they  gather  silver  and  brass  and  iron  and  lead  and 
tin  into  the  midst  of  the  furnace,  to  blow  the  fire  upon  it,  to  melt 
it;  so  will  I  gather  you  in  mine  anger  and  in  my  fury,  and  I  will 
leave  you  there,  and  melt  you.  Yea,  I  will  gather  you,  and  blow 
upon  you  in  the  fire  of  my  wrath,  and  ye  shall  be  melted  in  the  midst 
thereof.  As  silver  is  melted  in  the  midst  of  the  furnace,  so  shall  ye 
be  melted  in  the  midst  thereof;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord 
have  poured  out  my  fury  upon  you  (rerses  17-23). 

The  smelting  furnace  is  the  symbol  of  Jehovah's  fiery 
indignation  against  Jerusalem  and  its  inhabitants.  A  fur- 
nace is  either  for  refining  or  for  destruction.  In  the  future 
the  remnant  of  Israel  will  be  refined  by  the  fires  of  persecution 
and  tribulation  (Mai.  iii:l-3).  To  the  godly  part  of  His 
earthly  people  He  saith  "Behold  I  have  refined  thee,  but 
not  as  silver;  I  have  chosen  thee  in  the  furnace  of  affliction" 
(Isaiah  xlviii:10).  But  here  in  Ezekiel's  message  it  h  not 
the  question  of  refining  but  of  punishment  by  fire.  Israel 
is  dross.  Brass,  tin,  iron,  lead,  dross  of  silver  are  men- 
tioned, but  gold  is  significantly  omitted.  It  stands  for 
righteousness  and  that  was  lacking  in  Jerusalem.  The 
fury  of  the  Lord  would  fan  the  flame  and  all  gathered  to- 
gether, like  worthless  metals  would  be  melted  by  the  wrath 
of  the  Lord. 

III.  The  Corruption  of  the  Prophets,  the  Priests  and  the 
Princes. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying.  Son  of  man, 
say  unto  her.  Thou  art  the  land  that  is  not  cleansed,  nor  rained 
upon  in  the  day  of  indignation.  There  is  a  conspiracy  of  her 
prophets  in  the  midst  thereof,  like  a  roaring  lion  ravening  the  prey: 
they  have  devoured  souls;  they  have  taken  the  treasure  and  prec- 
ious things;  they  have  made  her  many  widows  in  the  midst  thereof. 
Her  priests  have  violated  my  law,  and  have  profaned  mine  holy 
things;  they  have  put  no  difference  between  the  holy  and  profane, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  151 

neither  have  they  shewed  difference  between  the  unclean  and  the 
clean,  and  have  hid  their  eyes  from  by  sabbaths,  and  I  am  pro- 
faned among  them.  Her  princes  in  the  midst  therof  are  like  wolves 
ravening  the  prey,  to  shed  blood  and  to  destroy  souls,  to  get  dis- 
honest gain.  And  her  prophets  have  daubed  them  with  un- 
tempered  mortar,  seeing  vanity,  and  divining  lies  unto  them, 
saying.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God,  when  the  Lord  hath  not  spoken. 
The  people  of  the  land  have  used  oppression  and  exercised  robbery, 
and  have  vexed  the  poor  and  needy:  yea,  they  have  oppressed 
the  stranger  wrongfully.  And  I  sought  for  a  man  among  them, 
that  should  make  up  the  hedge,  and  stand  in  the  gap  before  me 
for  the  land,  that  I  should  not  destroy  it:  but  I  found  none. 
Therefore  have  I  poured  out  mine  indignation  upon  them;  I  have 
consumed  them  with  the  fire  of  my  wrath:  their  own  way  have  I 
recompensed  upon  their  head,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  23-31). 

What  corruption  this  additional  message  of  the  Lord 
reveals!  The  land  had  already  been  cursed  for  the  wicked 
deeds  of  its  tenants.  The  religious  leaders,  the  prophets, 
these  false  prophets  with  their  lying  messages,  instead  of 
saving  souls  and  warning  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come, 
devoured  souls.  The  priests,  called  to  minister  in  holy 
things,  were  as  bad;  they  profaned  the  holy  things.  They 
were  blasphemers  instead  of  worshippers.  These  character- 
istics of  false  prophets  and  false  priests  are  repeated  in 
our  own  times.  Like  these  false  prophets  whom  Ezekiel 
describes,  the  modern  day  religious  leaders,  mislead  the 
people  by  giving  lying  messages  and  by  glossing  over  men's 
sins  and  not  giving  to  them  the  Word  of  the  Lord.  Like 
priests,  like  people!  The  people  were  lovers  of  money  and 
oppressors  of  the  poor.  Jehovah  looked  for  a  man  to 
stand  in  the  gap  between  Him  and  the  land,  but  there 
was  none.  There  is  no  help  and  hope  in  man,  for  all  have 
gone  astray  and  there  is  none  that  doeth  good.  But  there 
is  One — blessed  be  God! — who  has  stood  in  the  gap,  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  "And  He  saw  that  there  was  no  man,  and 
wondered  that  there  was  none  to  interpose,  therefore    His 


152  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

own  arm  brought  salvation  to  Him,  and  His  righteousness, 
it  upheld  Him"  (Isaiah  lix:16).  Through  Him  "all  Israel" 
is  yet  to  be  saved  and  receive  the  promised  blessings. 

THE  TWO  SISTERS  AHOLAH  AND  AHOLIBAH. 
Chapter  xxiii. 
[;  Once  more  a  parable  is  given  to  illustrate  and  expose  the 
wickedness  of  Samaria  and  Jerusalem  in  their  ungodly  rela- 
tionship with  Assyria  and  Chaldea.  On  the  whole,  this 
chapter  bears  a  similar  message  as  the  one  contained  in 
chapter  xvi,  however,  with  this  difference  that  here  the 
later  history  of  the  two  kingdoms,  the  Kingdom  of  Israel 
and  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  and  their  defilement  with  heathen 
nations  is  the  prominent  feature.  The  chapter  has  five 
sections. 

I.    The  Two  Sisters  Aholah  and  Aholibah. 

£:4The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
there  were  two  women,  the  daughters  of  one  mother:  And  they 
committed  whoredom  in  Egypt;  they  committed  whoredom  in  their 
youth:  there  were  their  breasts  pressed,  and  there  they  bruised 
the  teats  of  their  virginity.  And  the  names  of  them  were  Aholah 
the  elder,  and  Aholibah  her  sister:  and  they  were  mine,  and  they 
bare  sons  and  daughters.  Thus  were  their  names;  Samaria  is 
Aholah,  and  Jerusalem  Aholibah  (verses  1-4). 

The  two  daughters  of  one  mother  are  Samaria  and  Jeru- 
salem, called  sisters  in  chapter  xvi:46.  They  were  sisters 
not  only  because  they  had  the  same  mother,  the  Jewish 
nation,  but  they  were  also  sisters  in  their  vile  idolatry. 
Samaria  is  called  Aholah.  Aholah  means  "her  tent."  Jeru- 
salem is  named  Aholibah,  "my  tent  is  in  her."  The  latter 
denotes  the  fact  that  the  true  sanctuary  was  in  Judah,  while 
the  Kingdom  of  Israel,  Samaria,  practised  a  "false  worship." 
Yet  Jehovah  owned  them  both  as  His  people. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  153 

II.    Aholah's  Wickedness. 

And  Aholah  played  the  harlot  when  she  was  mine;  and 
she  doted  on  her  lovers,  on  the  Assyrians  her  neighbours, 
Which  were  clothed  with  blue,  captains  and  rulers,  all  of 
them  desirable  young  men,  horsemen  riding  upon  horses. 
Thus  she  committed  her  whoredoms  with  them,  with  all  them  that 
were  the  chosen  men  of  Assyria,  and  with  all  on  whom  she  doted: 
with  all  their  idols  she  defiled  herself.  Neither  left  she  her  whore- 
doms brought  from  Egypt:  for  in  her  youth  they  lay  with  her,  and 
they  bruised  the  breasts  of  her  virginity,  and  poured  their  whore- 
dom upon  her.  Wherefore  I  have  delivered  her  into  the  hand  of 
her  lovers,  into  the  hand  of  the  Assyrians,  upon  whom  she  doted. 
These  discovered  her  nakedness:  they  took  her  sons  and  her  daugh- 
ters, and  slew  her  with  the  sword  and  she  became  famous 
among  women;  for  they  had  executed  judgment  upon  her 
(verses  5-10). 

Aholah's,  Samaria's,  wickedness  is  described  first.  It 
began  with  Jeroboam's  idolatry  (1  Kings  xii:25)  and  became 
worse  and  worse.  They  went  to  Assyria  and  shared  their 
corruption  in  idolatry  and  made  a  covenant  with  that 
nation  (Hosea  xii:2).  Thus  Samaria  played  the  harlot  by 
forsaking  the  Lord  and  turning  to  Assyria,  trusting  on 
Assyria  instead  on  the  Lord,  and  then  she  defiled  herself 
with  all  their  idols.  Hosea  described  their  condition. 
"Ephraim  also  is  like  a  silly  dove  without  heart;  they  call 
to  Egypt,  they  go  to  Assyria.  When  they  shall  go  I  will 
spread  my  net  upon  them;  I  will  bring  them  down  as  the 
fowls  of  the  heaven;  I  will  chastise  them,  as  their  congrega- 
tion hath  heard.  Woe  unto  them!  for  they  have  fled  from 
me;  destruction  unto  them!  because  they  have  trans- 
gressed against  me,  though  I  have  redeemed  them,  yet  they 
have  spoken  lies  against  me"  (Hosea  vii:ll-13).  The  judg- 
ment of  Samaria  is  also  mentioned.  The  Lord  delivered 
the  people  into  the  hands  of  the  nation  with  which  they  had 
become  enamored,  to  discover  their  nakedness.  "Wherefore, 
I  have  delivered  her  into  the  hand  of  her  lovers,  into  the 


154  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

hand  of  the  Assyrians,  upon  whom  she  doted."  The  his- 
torical record  of  this  is  found  in  2  Kings  xvii,  when  Hoshea, 
King  of  Samaria,  became  servant  to  Shalmane?er,  King  of 
Assyria.  And  when  Hoshea  acted  treacherously,  Shal- 
maneser  imprisoned  Samaria's  king  and  led  the  people  away 
into  Assyria. 

III.    The  Wickedness  of  Aholibah. 

And  when  her  sister  Aholibah  saw  this,  she  was  more  corrupt  in 
her  inordinate  love  than  she,  and  in  her  whoredom  more  than  her 
sister  in  her  whoredom.  She  doted  upon  the  Assyrians  her  neigh- 
bours, captains  and  rulers  clothed  most  gorgeously,  horsemen  riding 
upon  horses,  all  of  them  desirable  young  men.  Then  I  saw  that  she 
was  defiled,  that  they  took  both  one  way,  And  that  she  increased 
her  whoredom:  for  when  she  saw  men  pourtrayed  upon  the  wall,  the 
images  of  the  Chaldeans  pourtrayed  with  vermilHon,  Girded  with 
girdles  upon  their  loins,  exceeding  in  dyed  attire  upon  their  heads, 
all  of  them  princes  to  look  to,  after  the  manner  of  their  nativity: 
And  as  soon  as  she  saw  them  with  her  eyes,  she  doted  upon  them, 
and  sent  messengers  unto  them  into  Chaldea.  And  the  Baby- 
lonians came  to  her  into  the  bed  of  love,  and  they  defiled  her  with 
their  whoredom,  and  she  was  polluted  with  them,  and  her  mind  was 
alienated  from  them.  So  she  discovered  her  whoredom,  and  dis- 
covered her  nakedness:  then  my  mind  was  alienated  from  her, 
like  as  my  mind  was  alienated  from  her  sister.  Yet  she  multiplied 
her  whoredoms,  in  calling  to  remembrance  the  days  of  her  youth, 
wherein  she  had  played  the  harlot  in  the  land  of  Egypt.  For  she 
doted  upon  their  paramours,  whose  flesh  is  as  the  flesh  of  asses,  and 
whose  issue  is  like  the  issue  of  horses.  Thus  thou  calledst  to  re- 
membrance the  lewdness  of  thy  youth,  in  bruising  thy  teats  by  the 
Egyptians  for  the  paps  of  thy  youth  (verses  11-21). 

And  her  sister  Aholibah,  Jerusalem,  saw  this,  but  did  not 
profit  by  it.  She  became  even  more  corrupt  than  Samaria 
and  increased  her  whoredoms.  She  was  enjoying  greater 
privileges  and  blessings  than  Samaria  and  therefore  her 
wickedness  and  fall  was  greater.  King  Ahaz,  when  pressed 
by  Rezin,  the  King  of  Syria  and  Remaliah,  King  of  Israel, 
sent    messengers    to  Tiglath-pileser,  King  of  Assyria,  with 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  155 

the  message,  "I  am  thy  servant  and  thy  son,  come  up  and 
save  me"  (2  Kings  xvi:5-8.) 

He  also  took  the  silver  and  gold  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 
and  gave  it  as  a  present  to  the  Assyrian  King.  Isaiah's 
message  and  offer  as  described  in  Isaiah  vii  he  refused. 
Then  King  Ahaz  "went  to  Damascus  to  meet  Tiglath-pileser, 
King  of  Assyria,  and  saw  an  altar  that  was  at  Damascus. 
And  King  Ahaz  sent  to  Urijah  the  priest,  the  fashion  of  the 
altar,  and  the  patterns  of  it,  according  to  all  the  workman- 
ship thereof."  This  strange  altar  was  set  up  in  Jerusalem, 
and  the  house  of  the  Lord  was  defiled  by  him  (2  Kings  xvi: 
10-20).  Likewise,  Jerusalem  also  followed  the  Chaldeans 
and  was  inflamed  by  the  pictures  of  the  Chaldeans  portrayed 
on  walls  in  vermillion,  the  peculiar  color  used  by  the  the  Chal- 
deans. She  loved  Chaldea,  Babylon  with  her  vile  idolatry, 
and  sent  messengers  to  the  Chaldeans.  And  the  Babylonians 
responded  and  came  to  her  to  corrupt  Jerusalem.  Then 
Jehovah  says:  "My  mind  was  alienated  from  her,  like  as  my 
mind  was  alienated  from  her  sister."  Yet  she  continued  in 
her  evil  ways.  In  all  this  we  have  a  description  of  Jerusa- 
lem's history  in  becoming  defiled  by  heathen  nations,  their 
idolatries  and  corresponding  immoralities. 

IV.    Aholibah's  Punishment. 

Therefore,  O  Aholibah,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will 
raise  up  thy  lovers  against  thee,  from  whom  thy  mind  is  alienated, 
and  I  will  bring  them  against  thee  on  every  side;  the  Babylonians, 
and  all  the  Chaldeans,  Pekod,  and  Shoa,  and  Koa,  and  all  the  Assyr- 
ians with  them:  all  of  them  desirable  young  men,  captains  and 
rulers,  great  lords  and  renowned,  all  of  them  riding  upon  horses. 
And  they  shall  come  against  thee  with  chariots,  wagons,  and 
wheels,  and  with  an  assembly  of  people,  which  shall  set  against 
thee  buckler  and  shield  and  helmet  round  about:  and  I  will  set 
judgment  before  them,  and  they  shall  judge  thee  according  to  their 
judgments.  And  I  will  set  my  jealousy  against  thee,  and  they  shall 
deal  furiously  with  thee:  they  shall  take  away  thy  nose  and  thine 
ears;   and  thy  remnant  shall  fall  by  the  sword:   they  shall  take  thy 


156  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

sons  and  thy  daughters;  and  thy  residue  shall  be  devoured  by  the 
fire.  They  shall  also  strip  thee  out  of  thy  clothes,  and  take  away 
thy  fair  jewels.  Thus  will  I  make  thy  lewdness  to  cease  from  thee, 
and  thy  whoredom  brought  from  the  land  of  Egypt:  so  that  thou 
shalt  not  lift  up  thine  eyes  unto  them,  nor  remember  Egypt  any 
more.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  deliver  thee 
into  the  hand  of  them  whom  thou  hatest,  into  the  hand  of  them  from 
whom  thy  mind  is  alienated:  And  they  shall  deal  with  thee  hate- 
fully, and  shall  take  away  all  thy  labour,  and  shall  leave  thee  naked 
and  bare:  and  the  nakedness  of  thy  whoredoms  shall  be  discovered, 
both  thy  lewdness  and  thy  whoredoms.  I  will  do  these  things  unto 
thee,  because  thou  hast  gone  a  whoring  after  the  heathen,  and  be- 
cause thou  art  polluted  with  their  idols.  Thou  hast  walked  in  the 
way  of  thy  sister;  therefore  will  I  give  her  cup  into  thine  hand. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Thou  shalt  drink  of  thy  sister's  cup 
deep  and  large:  thou  shalt  be  laughed  to  scorn  and  had  in  derision; 
it  containeth  much.  Thou  shalt  be  filled  with  drunkenness  and 
sorrow,  with  the  cup  of  astonishment  and  desolation,  with  the  cup 
of  thy  sister  Samaria.  Thou  shalt  even  drink  It  and  suck  it  out,  and 
thou  shalt  break  the  shreds  thereof,  and  pluck  off  thine  own  breasts: 
for  I  have  spoken  it,  saith  the  Lord  God.  Therefore  thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  Becasue  thou  hast  forgotten  me,  and  cast  me  behind 
thy  back,  therefore  bear  thou  thy  lewdness  and  thy  whoredoms 
(verses  22-35). 

And  those  with  whom  she  had  sinned  were  to  be  her 
chastisers.  "Behold  I  will  raise  up  thy  lovers  against 
thee.  ...  I  will  bring  them  against  thee  on  every  side." 
Her  well-deserved  judgment  would  be,  as  it  was,  in  the  hands 
of  the  Babylonians,  all  the  Chaldeans,  as  well  as  the  Assyrians. 
.  .  .  And  they  shall  come  against  thee  with  chariots, 
wagons  and  wheels,  with  (an ^'assembly  of  people,  which 
shall  set  against  thee  buckler  and  shield  and  helmet  round 
about,  and  I  will  set  judgment  before  them,  and  they  shall 
judge  thee  according  ;\to  their  judgment."  A  holy  and 
righteous  God  in  His  wrath  moved  these  vile  nations  to  heap 
upon  this  disobedient  and^idolatrous  people  the  worst  pun- 
ishments. "They  shall  deal  furiously  with  thee,  they  shall 
take  away  thy  nose  and  thine  ears,  and  thy  remnant  shall 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  157 

fall  by  the  sword;  they  shall  take  thy  sons  and  thy  daughters, 
and  thy  residue  shall  be  devoured  by  the  fire,"  The  explora- 
tions in  Assyria  have  brought  to  light  wall-sculptures  in 
which  such  atrocities  are  depicted.  God  is  righteous,  and 
divine  retribution  was  thus  manifested  in  Jerusalem's 
shameful  history.  And  in  our  own  times  we  behold  similar 
judgments  in  the  earth  meted  out  upon  nations,  professedly 
Christian,  who  forgot  God  and  rejected  His  holy  Word,  Jeru- 
salem had  walked  in  the  ways  of  her  vile  sister  Samaria  and 
had  even  outdone  her  In  wickedness.  She  was,  therefore,  to 
drink  her  cup,  "because  thou  hast  forgotten  me  and  cast  me 
behind  thy  back,  therefore  bear  thou  also  thy  lewdness  and 
thy  whoredoms."  Jerusalem  had  seen  all  what  happened 
to  the  northern  kingdom  when  Shalmaneser  had  carried  them 
away,  yet  she  kept  right  on  in  her  evil  course  and  did  not 
repent  of  her  idolatries,  her  vile  immoralities  and  wicked- 
ness. And  so  it  is  to-day.  Nations  reap  what  they  have 
sown,  and  other  nations,  like  our  own,  do  not  take  the  warn- 
ing. They  continue  In  the  downward  course,  rejecting 
God's  holy  Word  and  are  guilty  of  the  same  sins  as  the  na- 
tions who  drink  now  the  cup  of  divine  displeasure.  Ere 
long  the  judgments  of  God  will  reach  every  nation  for  the 
evil  they  have  done. 

V.  Final  Rehearsal  of  their  Sins  and  Punishments. 

The  Lord  said  moreover  unto  me;  Son  of  man,  wilt  thou  judge 
Aholah  and  Aholibah.^  yea,  declare  unto  them  their  abominations; 
That  they  have  committed  adultery,  and  blood  is  in  their  hands, 
and  with  their  idols  have  they  committed  adultery,  and  have  also 
caused  their  sons,  whom  they  bare  unto  me,  to  pass  for  them  through 
the  fire,  to  devour  them.  Moreover  this  they  have  done  unto  me: 
they  have  defiled  my  sanctuary  in  the  same  day,  and  have  profaned 
my  sabbaths.  For  when  they  had  slain  their  children  to  their 
idols,  then  they  came  the  same  day  into  my  sanctuary  to  profane 
it;  and,  lo,  thus  have  they  done  in  the  midst  of  mine  house. 
And  furthermore,  that  ye  have  sent  for  men  to  come  from  far, 


158  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

unto  whom  a  messenger  was  sent;  and,  lo,  they  came:  for  whom 
thou  didst  wash  thyself,  paintedst  thy  eyes,  and  deckedst  thyself 
witih  ornaments.  And  satest  upon  a  stately  bed,  and  a  table  pre- 
pared before  it,  whereupon  thou  hast  set  mine  incense  and  mine 
oil.  And  a  voice  of  a  multitude  being  at  ease  was  with  her:  and 
with  the  men  of  the  common  sort  were  brought  Sabeans  from  the 
wilderness,  which  put  bracelets  upon  their  hands,  and  beautiful 
crowns  upon  their  heads.  Then  said  I  unto  her  that  was  old  in 
adulteries,  Will  they  now  commit  whoredoms  with  her,  and  she 
with  them?  Yet  they  went  in  unto  her,  as  they  go  in  unto  a  woman 
that  playeth  the  harlot:  so  went  they  in  unto  Aholah  and  unto 
Ahojibah,  the  lewd  women. 

And  the  righteous  men,  they  shall  judge  them  after  the  manner 
of  adulteresses,  and  after  the  manner  of  women  that  shed  blood; 
because  they  are  adulteresses,  and  blood  is  in  their  hands.  For  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will  bring  up  a  company  upon  them,  and 
will  give  them  to  be  removed  and  spoiled.  And  the  company  shall 
stone  them  v/ith  stones,  and  dispatch  them  with  their  swords; 
they  shall  slay  their  sons  and  their  daughters,  and  burn  up  their 
houses  with  fire.  Thus  will  I  cause  lewdness  to  cease  out  of  the 
land,  that  all  women  may  be  taught  not  to  do  after  your  lewdness. 
And  they  shall  recompense  your  lewdness  upon  you,  and  ye  shall 
bear  the  sins  of  your  idols:  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
God  (verses  36-49). 

Little  comment  is  needed  on  this  final  section;  there  is  a 
recapitulation  of  the  sins  of  Aholah  and  Aholibah.  They 
committed  adultery  with  their  idols,  both  in  a  spiritual  way 
and  also  literally.  Their  offspring  were  cast  into  the  fiery 
arms  of  Moloch  and  thus  slain  to  their  idols.  They  pro- 
faned the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  Adulterers  they  were  and 
blood  was  in  their  hands.  What  degradation!  Licentious- 
ness, violence  and  child  sacrifice  were  the  leading  sins  of  the 
nation  and  these  were  produced  by  having  forgotten  God 
and  by  idolatry.  The  punishment  of  the  adulterers,  according 
to  the  law,  stoning,  awaited  Jerusalem.  "And  the  company 
shall  stone  them  with  stones  and  dispatch  them  with  their 
swords;  they  shall  slay  their  sons  and  their  daughters,  and 
burn  up  their  houses  with  fire.     Thus  will  I  cause  lewdness 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  159 

to  cease  out  of  the  land,  that  all  women  (surrounding  nations 
who  knew  of  Jerusalem's  vileness)  be  taught  not  to  go  after 
your  lewdness.  And  they  (the  heathen  nations)  shall 
recompense  your  lewdness  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  bear  the 
sins  of  your  idols,  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord." 
The  Lord  had  manifested  Himself  to  Jerusalem  as  a  Lord 
of  grace  and  power.  He  had  dealt  with  that  nation  as  He 
had  not  dealt  with  others.  "You  only  have  I  known  of  all 
the  families  of  the  earth,  therefore  I  will  punish  you  for  all 
your  iniquities"  (Amos  iii:2).  In  awful  judgments  they  were 
to  learn  that  He  is  the  Lord;  what  they  should  have  known 
through  His  mercies,  they  found  out  by  the  punishment 
from  the  hands  of  a  righteous  Lord.  All  this  will  be  re- 
peated in  future  history.  The  time  is  not  distant  when  still 
greater  judgments  will  be  poured  out  upon  nations  as  well 
as  upon  the  Jewish  people.  During  that  time  the  world  will 
find  out  that  He  is  the  Lord.  "For  when  thy  judgments 
are  in  the  earth  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  learn 
righteousness"    (Is.   xxvi:9). 

THE  BOILING  POT  AND  THE  LAST  WORD. 
Chapter  xxiv. 

We  have  reached  the  final  message  of  this  great  Prophet 
concerning  the  judgment  and  overthrow  of  Jerusalem.  The 
fatal  siege  of  the  city  which  sealed  its  doom,  so  long  an- 
nounced, had  started.  Ezekiel  receives  the  information 
directly  from  the  Lord  and  then  utters  the  solemn  words 
of  the  Lord  in  which  for  the  last  time  the  wickedness  of  the 
bloody  city  is  made  known.  First,  he  spoke  in  a  parable 
and  afterwards  in  the  death  of  his  wife  he  was  a  sign  unto 
them. 

I.  The  Parable  of  the  Boiling  Pot  and  its  Significance. 

Again  in  the  ninth  year,  in  the  tenth  month,  in  the  tenth  day  of 


160  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

the  month,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of 
man,  write  thee  the  name  of  the  day,  even  of  this  same  day:  the 
king  of  Babylon  set  himself  against  Jerusalem  this  same  day.  And 
utter  a  parable  unto  the  rebellious  house,  and  say  unto  them,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  Set  on  a  pot,  set  it  on,  and  also  pour  water 
into  it:  Gather  the  pieces  thereof  into  it,  even  every  good  piece, 
the  thigh,  and  the  shoulder;  fill  it  with  the  choice  bones.  Take  the 
choice  of  the  flock,  and  burn  also  the  bones  under  it,  and  make  it 
boil  well,  and  let  them  seethe  the  bones  of  it  therein.  Wherefore 
thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Woe  to  the  bloody  city,  to  the  pot  whose 
scum  is  therein,  and  whose  scum  is  not  gone  out  of  it,  bring  it  out 
piece  by  piece;  let  no  lot  fall  upon  it.  For  her  blood  is  in  the  midst 
of  her;  she  set  it  upon  the  top  of  a  rock;  she  poured  it  not  upon 
the  ground,  to  cover  it  with  dust;  That  it  might  cause  fury  to  come 
up  to  take  vengeance;  I  have  set  her  blood  upon  the  top  of  a  rock, 
that  it  should  not  be  covered.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
Woe  to  the  bloody  city!  I  will  even  make  the  pile  for  fire  great. 
Heap  on  wood,  kindle  the  fire,  consume  the  flesh,  and  spice  it  well, 
and  let  the  bones  be  burned.  Then  set  it  empty  upon  the  coals 
thereof,  that  the  brass  of  it  may  be  hot,  and  may  burn,  and  that 
the  filthiness  of  it  may  be  molten  in  it,  that  the  scum  of  it  may  be 
consumed.  She  hath  wearied  herself  with  lies,  and  her  great 
scum  went  not  forth  out  of  her:  her  scum  shall  be  in  the  fire.  In 
thy  filthiness  is  lewdness:  because  I  have  purged  thee,  and  thou 
wast  not  purged,  thou  shalt  not  be  purged  from  thy  filthiness  any 
more,  till  I  have  caused  my  fury  to  rest  upon  thee.  I  the  Lord 
have  spoken  it:  it  shall  come  to  pass,  and  I  will  do  it;  I  will  not  go 
back,  neither  will  I  spare,  neither  will  I  repent;  according  to  thy 
ways,  and  according  to  thy  doings,  shall  they  judge  thee,  saith 
the  Lord  God  (verses  1-14). 

The  Prophet  is  instructed  to  note  the  exact  date,  the  tenth 
day  of  the  tenth  month  in  the  ninth  year.  The  same  date 
we  find  in  2  Kings  xxv:l.  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  ninth 
year  of  his  reign  in  the  tenth  month,  in  the  tenth  day  of  the 
month,  that  Nebuchadnezzar,  king  of  Babylon,  came,  he, 
and  all  his  host,  against  Jerusalem,  and  pitched  against  it; 
and  they  built  forts  against  it  round  about."  The  same 
statement  is  made  by  Jeremiah  (chapter  lii:4).     But  how  did 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  161 

Ezekiel,  far  away  from  the  scene  of  the  siege,  know  the  exact 
date  when  the  king  of  Babylon  began  to  carry  out  the  threat- 
ened divine  judgment?  It  was  the  Lord  who  gave  him  this 
information.  This  is  the  statement  of  the  second  verse, 
"Son  of  man,  write  thee  the  name  of  the  day,  even  of  this 
selfsame  day,  the  king  of  Babylon  set  himself  (literally, 
leaned  upon)  against  Jerusalem  this  same  day."  Higher 
Criticism  shows  its  teeth  in  connection  with  such  definite 
statements  which  introduce  the  power  of  God.  We  quote 
the  following  from  a  recent  commentator:  "This  verse 
(verse  2)  forces  on  us  in  the  clearest  fashion  the  dilemma 
— either  Ezekiel  was  a  deliberate  deceiver,  or  he  was  pos- 
sessed of  some  kind  of  second  sight."  According  to  these 
words  Ezekiel  was  either  an  out-and-out  deceiver,  a  wicked 
man,  or,  he  was  a  clairvoyant.  That  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  him  and  imparted  unto  him  the  news  that  on  the 
same  day  Jerusalem's  siege  had  begun,  is  neither  considered 
nor  believed.  Such  is  the  blind  unbelief  of  the  modern 
critics.  The  boiling  pot  or  caldron  mentioned  in  this  para- 
ble is  the  symbol  of  Jerusalem.  What  is  cast  into  this  pot 
typifies  the  guilty  people;  the  choice  bones  and  the  choice 
of  the  flock,  the  leaders.  All  are  to  be  thrown  in  one  com- 
mon caldron  to  seethe  therein,  the  symbol  of  the  fiery  judg- 
ments which  had  now  come  upon  the  city.  The  scum*  in 
the  pot  is  symbolical  of  Jerusalem's  sins.  The  woe  is  pro- 
nounced upon  the  bloody  city  on  account  of  the  scum;  it 
is  to  be  consumed.  "She  hath  wearied  Me  with  lies,  and 
her  great  scum  went  not  forth  out  of  her;  her  scum  shall 
be  in  the  fire."  While  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  are  thus 
described  suffering  for  their  sins,  the  city  itself  will  be  dealt 
with  (verse  11).  This  parable  becomes  still  more  interest- 
ing if  we  compare  it  with  the  message  of  the  eleventh  chap- 


*Literally,  Rust. 


162  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

ter.  Then  the  people  of  Jerusalem  had  said,  "This  city  is 
the  caldron,  and  we  be  the  flesh"  (xi:3).  The  Lord  had 
answered  them,  "This  city  shall  not  be  your  caldron,  within 
shall  ye  be  the  flesh  in  the  midst  thereof"  (xi:ll).  They 
gave  the  caldron  a  different  meaning  from  the  parable 
here.  As  the  flesh  is  preserved  in  a  pot,  a  caldron,  so  they 
thought  themselves  secure  and  safe  in  Jerusalem.  And  now 
the  Lord  tells  them  that  Jerusalem  shall  be  a  caldron,  but 
not  for  their  preservation,  but  for  their  judgment.  They 
had  deceived  themselves  when  they  thought  themselves 
safe.  His  fury  is  now  to  be  displayed  upon  bloody,  filthy 
Jerusalem.  "I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it,  it  shall  come  to 
pass,  and  I  will  do  it;  I  will  not  go  back,  neither  will  I  spare, 
neither  will  I  repent;  according  to  thy  ways,  and  according 
to  thy  doings  shall  they  judge  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God." 
What  the  Lord  hath  spoken  will  come  to  pass;  He  will  do 
it.  This  is  a  solemn  word.  Men  ignore  what  God  has 
spoken.  Others  sneer  at  it  and  are  unbelieving.  The  mass 
of  professing  Christians  are  indifferent  and  have  no  thought 
that  God  will  do  what  He  has  spoken  about  judgments  to 
come.  But  they  will  as  surely  come  upon  our  age,  as  the 
threatened  judgments  came  upon  Jerusalem. 

II.  The  Death  of  the  Wife  of  EzekieL 

Also  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
behold,  I  take  away  from  thee  the  desire  of  thine  eyes  with  a  stroke: 
yet  neither  shalt  thou  mourn  nor  weep,  neither  shall  thy  tears  run 
down.  Forbear  to  cry,  make  no  mourning  for  the  dead,  bind 
the  tire  of  thine  head  upon  thee,  and  put  on  thy  shoes  upon  thy 
feet,  and  cover  not  thy  lips,  and  eat  not  the  bread  of  men.  So 
I  spake  unto  the  people  in  the  morning:  and  at  even  my  wife  died; 
and  I  did  in  the  morning  as  I  was  commanded  (verses  15-18). 

The  second  message  which  is  given  to  Ezekiel  in  this 
chapter  concerns  himself.  He  is  to  lose  the  desire  of  his 
eyes,  his  wife,  with  a  stroke.     And  the  Lord  tells  him  that 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  163 

he  is  not  to  mourn  or  weep,  nor  is  he  to  shed  tears  on  account 
of  the  bereavement.  All  the  customary  signs  of  grief  are 
forbidden  him.  These  were  the  taking  off  of  the  headdress, 
the  turban,  and  putting  ashes  on  the  head;  taking  off  the 
shoes,  walking  barefooted  (2  Sam.  xv:30);  the  covering  of 
the  lips,  the  beard  (Micah  iii:7;  see  also  Lev.  xiii:45),  and 
the  eating  of  certain  food,  mourning-food.  All  this  he  was 
not  to  do.  And  while  he  faithfully  delivered  the  Word  of 
the  Lord  in  the  morning,  at  even  his  wife  was  taken  from 
him  and  faithfully  he  obeyed  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord.  Death  had  dissolved  the  marriage  union  and  taken 
from  the  prophet  the  beloved  wife.  Even  so  the  relation- 
ship between  Jehovah  and  Jerusalem  was  now  to  be  com- 
pletely severed.  And  instead  of  a  wild  lamentation,  a  wail- 
ing cry,  there  should  be  a  solemn  silence.  A  similar  message 
was  also  given  to  Jeremiah,  "They  shall  die  of  grievous 
deaths;  they  shall  not  be  lamented.  .  .  .  For  thus  saith 
the  Lord,  Enter  not  in  the  house  of  mourning,  neither  go  to 
lament  nor  bemoan  them"  (Jer.  xvi:4-9). 

III.    The  Question  of  the  People  and  the  Answer. 

And  the  people  said  unto  me,  Wilt  thou  not  tell  us  what  these 
things  are  to  us,  that  thou  doest  so?  Then  I  answered  them, 
The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Speak  unto  the  house 
of  Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  profane  my 
sanctuary,  the  excellency  of  your  strength,  the  desire  of  your  eyes, 
and  that  which  your  soul  pitieth;  and  your  sons  and  your 
daughters  whom  ye  have  left  shall  fall  by  the  sword.  And  ye 
shall  do  as  I  have  done;  ye  shall  not  cover  your  lips,  nor  eat  the 
bread  of  men.  And  your  tires  shall  be  upon  your  heads,  and  your 
shoes  upon  your  feet:  ye  shall  not  mourn  nor  weep;  but  ye  shall 
pine  away  for  your  iniquities,  and  mourn  one  toward  another. 
Thus  Ezekiel  is  unto  you  a  sign;  according  to  all  that  he  hath  done 
shall  ye  do;  and  when  this  cometh,  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  tht 
Lord  God.  Also,  thou  son  of  man,  shall  It  not  be,  in  the  day  when 
I  take  from  them  their  strength,  the  joy  of  their  glory,  the  desire 
of  their  eyes,  and  that  whereupon  they  set  their  minds,  their  sons 


164  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

and  their  daughters.  That  he  that  escapeth  in  that  day  shall  come 
unto  thee,  to  cause  thee  to  hear  it  with  thine  ears?  In  that  day 
shall  thy  mouth  be  opened  to  him  which  is  escaped,  and  thou  shalt 
speak,  and  be  no  more  dumb;  and  thou  shalt  be  a  sign  unto  them; 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses  19-27). 

The  people  then  inquired  of  Ezekiel  about  the  meaning 
of  his  actions.  They  wanted  to  know  about  the  caldron 
and  about  his  strange  behaviour  in  not  mourning  over  the 
death  of  his  wife.  The  answer  is  again  given  by  the  Word 
of  the  Lord.  The  captives  on  the  river  Chebar,  who 
surrounded  the  Prophet,  hear  now  that  the  Lord  is  going  to 
profane  His  own  sanctuary.  It  was  the  object  in  which 
they  boasted,  the  excellency  of  their  strength  and  the  desire 
of  their  eyes.  Their  sons  and  daughters  who  had  been  left 
behind  by  them  were  now  to  fall  by  the  sword.  As  suddenly 
as  the  stroke  bereft  him  of  his  wife,  so  should  they  lose  their 
loved  ones  and  they  also  were  not  to  lament.  Ezekiel  was 
unto  them  a  sign.  As  previously  so  now  again  he  fore- 
shadowed in  his  experience  what  was  the  common  lot  of 
the  people.  But  more  than  that  should  come  upon  them. 
They  were  to  pine  away  on  account  of  their  iniquities  and 
moan  one  toward  another;  their  grief  would  be  manifested 
in  groans  and  moans  of  deepest  anguish.  In  all  they  were 
to  know  that  He  whom  they  rejected  is  the  Lord.  And 
so  the  world  will  make  the  same  discovery  before  long,  per- 
haps even  now  this  solemn  fact  is  being  demonstrated  before 
our  eyes.  Nations  have  forgotten  God.  They  have  re- 
jected His  Word.  They  trampled  under  foot  His  truth  and 
the  best  the  Lord  has  given.  The  measure  of  wickedness  is 
rapidly  being  filled  up  and  God,  a  holy,  righteous  God,  must 
act  in  judgment  and  deal  with  man  according  to  his  ways 
and  according  to  his  works.  The  moans  and  the  groans  are 
on  the  earth. 

And  when  all  the  prophet  announced  was  accomplished, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  165 

when  Jerusalem  had  fallen,  then  one  that  escaped  should 
come  to  Ezekiel  and  tell  him  about  it.  Even  so  it  happened. 
"And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  twelfth  year  of  our  captivity,  in 
the  tenth  month,  in  the  fifth  day  of  the  month,  that  one 
that  had  escaped  out  of  Jerusalem  came  into  me,  saying, 
The  city  is  smitten"  (xxxiii:21).  It  was  also  announced 
to  the  Prophet  that  when  this  messenger  came  he  should 
no  more  be  dumb,  but  his  mouth  should  be  opened,  and  he 
would  speak.  Of  this  we  read  in  chapter  xxxiii:22;  then 
he  would  resume  his  public  activities. 

PREDICTIONS  OF  JUDGMENT  AGAINST  THE 
NATIONS. 

Chapters  xxv-xxxii. 

PREDICTIONS  AGAINST  AMMON,  MOAB,  EDOM 
AND  THE  PHILISTINES. 

Chapter  xxv. 

A  new  section  begins  with  this  chapter.  The  prophet  is 
now  made  the  mouthpiece  of  Jehovah  to  utter  prophecies 
concerning  other  nations.  Two  years  after  the  message 
of  the  preceding  chapter,  the  news  came  to  Ezekiel  announc- 
ing the  fall  of  the  city  and  after  that,  Ezekiel  received  the 
greater  messages  concerning  Israel  and  her  glorious  future. 
The  prophecies  contained  in  chapters  xxv-xxxii  concerning 
the  nations  which  came  in  touch  with  Israel  were  delivered 
at  different  times.  See  the  dates  in  chapters  xxvi:l,  xxixrl,  17, 
xxx:20,  xxxi:l  and  xxxii:l,  17.  The  predictions  concern  just 
seven  nations,  and  these  are  divided  into  four  and  three. 
The  first  four  were  the  immediate  neighbors  of  Israel.  Then 
come  larger  prophecies  against  Tyre,  with  a  message  on  the 
future  return  of  Israel  against  Sidon  and  Egypt;  Assyria  is 
also  mentioned.  Isaiah,  Jeremiah  and  Amos  likewise 
received  similar  messages  against  the  same  nations.     Their 


166  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

guilt  is  uncovered  and  their  judgment  and  overthrow  makes 
the  way  for  Israel's  blessing  and  peace.  While  these  judg- 
ments have  had  a  partial,  past  fulfilment,  the  complete 
fulfilment  is  yet  to  come,  for  the  prophetic  Word  shows 
that  the  nations  who  have  sinned  against  Jehovah  and  His 
people  will  be  judged  in  a  coming  day,  when  Israel  will  be 
restored  and  be  blest.  Such  is  evident  when  we  read  the 
gracious,  still  future  promises  to  His  earthly  people.  See 
chapters  xxviii:24-26  and  xxix:21.  These  unfulfilled  promises 
concerning  Israel's  restoration  as  well  as  spiritual  prosperity 
make  it  clear  that  these  judgments  hold  a  definite  relation 
to  future  events. 

I.    The  Prophecy  Concerning  Ammon. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
set  thy  face  against  the  Ammonites,  and  prophesy  against  them; 
And  say  unto  the  Ammonites,  Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  God; 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  thou  saidst.  Aha,  against  my 
sanctuary,  when  it  was  profaned;  and  against  the  land  of  Israel, 
when  it  was  desolate;  and  against  the  house  of  Judah,  when  they 
went  into  captivity;  Behold,  therefore  I  will  deliver  thee  to  the  men 
of  the  East  for  a  possession,  and  they  shall  set  their  palaces  in  thee, 
and  make  their  dwellings  in  thee:  they  shall  eat  thy  fruit,  and  they 
shall  drink  thy  milk.  And  I  will  make  Rabbah  a  stable  for  camels, 
and  the  Ammonites  a  couching  place  for  flocks:  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  thou 
hast  clapped  thine  hands,  and  stamped  with  the  feet,  and  rejoiced 
in  heart  with  all  thy  despite  against  the  land  of  Israel;  Behold, 
therefore  I  will  stretch  out  mine  hand  upon  thee,  and  will  deliver 
thee  for  a  spoil  to  the  heathen;  and  I  will  cut  thee  off  from  the 
people,  and  I  will  cause  thee  to  perish  out  of  the  countries:  I  will 
destroy  thee;  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses 
1-7). 

A  message  concerning  Ammon  had  been  given  before  to 
Ezekiel  (chapter  xxi:28-32).  The  prophet  Jeremiah  also 
announced  the  coming  judgment  for  the  Ammonites:  "It 
shall  be  a  desolate  heap  and  her  daughters  shall  be  burned 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  167 

with  fire."  But  Jeremiah  predicted  a  restoration  of  Am- 
nion after  the  judgment.  "And  afterward  I  will  bring  again 
the  captivity  of  the  children  of  Ammon,  saith  the  Lord" 
(Jer.  lxix:l-6).  God  will  accomplish  this  in  His  own  time 
and  way.  We  do  not  need  to  trouble  ourselves  how  He  will 
fulfil  His  Word;  He  takes  care  of  that.  Still  a;nother 
prophet  speaks  concerning  them.  Zephaniah  (ii:8-ll)  shows 
that  they  reproached  God's  people  and  were  filled  with  pride. 
As  we  know,  both  Ammon  and  Moab  had  a  deeply  humiliat- 
ing  origin  (Gen.  xxxvii:37-38)  and  had  a  racial  connection 
with  Israel.  As  the  past  history  shows  they  were  in  con- 
stant conflict  with  Israel.  When  the  sanctuary  in  the 
midst  of  God's  people  was  profaned,  the  land  laid  desolate 
and  the  house  of  Judah  went  into  captivity,  they  greatly 
rejoiced.  Their  exultation  over  Israel's  sin  and  God's  punish- 
ment revealed  their  own  wicked,  God-defying,  unbelieving 
character.  Therefore  God  is  going  to  punish  them.  The 
men  of  the  East  were  to  conquer  them  and  take  them  for 
a  possession.  The  men  of  the  East  are  the  Bedouins.  The 
word  "palaces"  must  be  translated  "encampments."  The 
Bedouins  set  up  their  tents  in  stone  rings.  And  this  proph- 
ecy has  been  fulfilled.  The  Bedouin  nomads  wander  through 
Ammon's  possession. 

II.  Prophecy  Concerning  Moab. 

Thus  salth  the  Lord  God;  Because  that  Moab  and  Seir  do  say, 
'Behold,  the  house  of  Judah  is  like  unto  all  the  heathen;  Therefore, 
behold,  I  will  open  the  side  of  Moab  from  the  cities,  from  his  cities 
which  are  on  his  frontiers,  the  glory  of  the  country,  Beth-jeshimoth, 
Baal-meon  and  Kiriathaim,  Unto  the  men  of  the  east  with  the  Am- 
monites, and  will  give  them  in  possession,  that  the  Ammonites  may 
not  be  remembered  among  the  nations.  And  I  will  execute  judg- 
ments upon  Moab;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
(verses  8-1 1). 


168  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Moab  was  the  kin  of  Ammon.*  Their  country  lay  east 
of  the  Dead  Sea.  Other  interesting  prophetic  messages 
on  Moab  are  contained  in  Isaiah  xv  and  xvi;  Jer.  xlviii 
and  Amos  ii:l.  Jeremiah  also  gives  a  promise  of  Moab's 
restoration.  "Yet  will  I  bring  again  the  captivity  of 
Moab  in  the  latter  days,  saith  the  Lord"  (Jer.  xlviii:47). 
Here  the  time  of  Moab's  blessing  is  stated;  it  will  be  "in 
the  latter  days,"  the  days  still  to  come  connected  with  the 
day  of  the  Lord,  the  second  Coming  of  Christ.  Where 
Ammon  and  Moab  are  now,  among  what  nations  their  de- 
scendants exist,  is  known  to  an  omniscient  God.  How 
Moab  will  be  brought  back  from  captivity  and  installed  in 
their  territory  in  the  latter  days,  we  repeat,  will  be  accom- 
plished by  the  wisdom  and  power  of  God.  The  teaching 
which  one  hears  occasionally,  that  the  Ammonites  and 
Moabites  will  be  raised  from  the  dead  and  restored  physi- 
cally is  more  than  a  fanciful  speculation;  it  is  an  evil, 
unscriptural  doctrine.  The  Word  of  God  nowhere  teaches 
a  physical  resurrection  of  ungodly  nations  of  the  past 
for  a  second  chance.  Moab  also  sneered  at  the  house  of 
Judah  and  mockingly  declared  "the  house  of  Judah  is 
like  unto  all  the  heathen."  They  were  a  proud  and  arro- 
gant people.  "We  have  heard  of  the  pride  of  Moab,  he  is 
exceedingly  proud,  his  loftiness  and  his  arrogancy  and  his 
pride  and  the  haughtiness  of  his  heart"  (Jer.  xlviii:29). 
Isaiah  gives  the  same  description  of  their  character  (Isa. 
xvi:6).  And  the  God  of  Israel  who  governs  the  nations 
and  deals  with  them  in  judgment  humbled  them  into  the 
dust.  The  Bedouins  are  now  likewise  the  possessors  of 
their  country.  "And  I  will  execute  judgments  upon  Moab; 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."     And  these  judg- 


*Moab  and  Ammon  were  the  incestuous  offspring  of  Lot.  (Genesis 
xix:37-38.) 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  169 

ments  upon  proud,  self-exalting,  God-forgetting  nations,  are 
not  confined  to  the  past.  Some  nations  of  Europe,  who 
claimed  to  be  nations  of  civilization  and  making  for  right- 
eousness, so  often  called  "Christian  nations,"  have  been 
lifted  up  in  pride,  forgetting  God  in  their  prosperity,  and 
now  a  righteous  God  has  put  His  hand  upon  them,  so  that 
they  should  find  out  that  He  is  the  Lord. 

III.  Prophecy  Concerning  Edom. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  that  Edom  hath  dealt  against 
the  house  of  Judah  by  taking  vengeance,  and  hath  greatly  offended, 
and  revenged  himself  upon  them;  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  I  will  also  stretch  out  mine  hand  upon  Edom,  and  will  cut 
off  man  and  beast  from  it;  and  I  will  make  It  desolate  from  Teman; 
and  they  of  Dedan  shall  fall  by  the  sword.  And  I  will  lay  my 
vengeance  upon  Edom  by  the  hand  of  my  people  Israel:  and  they 
shall  do  in  Edom  according  to  my  fury;  and  they  shall  know  my  ven- 
geance, saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  12-14). 

Edom,  the  descendants  of  Esau,  the  ^ea  of  Jacob,  was 
more  closely  connected  with  Israel  than  Ammon  and  Moab, 
And  Edom's  deeds  were  more  pronouncedly  against  the 
people  of  God,  more  wicked  and  defiant,  than  the  others. 
Israel  was  especially  commanded  not  to  abhor  an  Edomite. 
"Thou  shalt  not  abhor  an  Edomite,  for  he  is  thy  brother" 
(Deut.  xxiii:7).  They  greatly  offended  and  revenged  them- 
selves upon  them.  Amos  declared  their  sin.  "He  did 
pursue  his  brother  with  the  sword,  and  did  cast  off  all  pity, 
and  his  anger  did  tear  perpetually,  and  he  kept  his  wrath 
forever"  (Amos  i:ll).  Edom's  pride  is  uncovered  by 
Obadiah  (Obd.  verse  3-4),  who  also  shows  Edom's  sin  against 
his  brother  (verses  10-14).  And  the  cruel  Herods,  the 
types  of  Antichrist,  were  Edomites.  Edom's  judgment  is 
to  be  executed  by  Israel.  This  is  to  take  place  in  a  future 
day.  See  Obadiah's  prophecy  (verses  17-21)  and  Amos 
ix:ll-12).     Yet  judgment  has  long  ago  fallen  upon  Edom, 


170  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

as  predicted  in  verse  14.  What  evidence  that  the  words 
spoken  by  these  prophets  are  the  words  of  God,  superntaural 
in  their  origin  and  sure  in  their  fulfilment!  We  shall  find 
some  striking  evidences  in  the  predictions  uttered  by  Ezekiel 
against  Tyre  and  Egypt.  There  is  a  time  coming  when 
every  prediction  in  the  Bible  will  be  accomplished.  Then 
the  Bible  is  gloriously  vindicated  and  all  its  enemies  will 
forever  disappear. 

IV.    Prophecy  Concerning  the  Philistines. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  the  Philistines  have  dealt  by 
revenge,  and  have  taken  vengeance  with  a  despiteful  heart,  to 
destroy  it  for  the  old  hatred;  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
Behold,  I  will  stretch  out  mine  hand  upon  the  Philistines,  and  I  will 
cut  off  the  Cherethims,  and  destroy  the  remnant  of  the  sea-coast. 
And  I  will  execute  great  vengeance  upon  them  with  furious  rebukes; 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  shall  lay  my  ven- 
geance upon  them  (verses  15-17). 

Another  "thus  saith  the  Lord."  The  Philistines  dwelt 
on  a  narrow  strip  on  the  seashore  and  were  the  long  con- 
tinued enemies  of  the  people  Israel.  Jeremiah  speaks  of 
them  .^chapter  cxlvii).  See  also  Amos  i:6-9;  Joel  iii:4; 
Isa.  xix:29-32.  The  vengeance  of  the  Lord  fell  upon  the 
coast  of  Palestina,  the  Philistines;  and  they  experienced  the 
fury  of  the  Lord.  He  dealt  with  them  who  had  corrupted 
His  people.  And  so  God  will  deal  in  due  time  with  all  His 
enemies. 

PROPHECIES    CONCERNING    TYRUS. 
Chapter  xxvi. 

A  lengthy  prophecy  concerning  Tyre  is  contained  in 
this  and  the  following  chapters.  It  is  of  much  interest. 
The  divinely  given  predictions  against  that  once  powerful 
city  have  seen  a  literal  fulfillment;  certain  periods  of  Tyre's 
dpwiifall  and  overthrow  are  made  known  by  the  prophet. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  171 

History  confirms  all  that  is  written  here.  In  subsequent 
chapters  we  find  much  information  on  the  riches  and  the 
greatness  of  that  ancient  city,  while  the  description  of  the 
King  of  Tyre,  which  fits  only  the  prince  of  this  world, 
Satan,  who  governed  Tyre's  King,  is  of  intense  interest  and 
much  importance.  Here  are  also  many  spiritual  lessons, 
and  a  good  deal  which  finds  a  ready  application  to  present 
day  world-conditions. 

I.  The  Overthrow  of  Tyrus  Announced. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  eleventh  year,  in  the  first  day  of  the 
month,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying,  Son  of  man, 
because  that  Tyrus  hath  said  against  Jerusalem,  Aha!  she  is  broken 
that  was  the  gates  of  the  people;  she  is  turned  unto  me;  I  shall  be 
replenished,  now  she  is  laid  waste:  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Tyrus,  and  will  cause  many 
nations  to  come  up  against  thee,  as  the  sea  causeth  his  waves  to 
come  up.  And  they  shall  destroy  the  walls  of  Tyrus,  and  break 
down  her  towers;  I  will  also  scrape  her  dust  from  her,  and  make 
her  like  the  top  of  a  rock.  It  shall  be  a  place  for  the  spreading  of 
nets  in  the  midst  of  the  sea:  for  I  have  spoken  it,  saith  the  Lord 
God:  and  it  shall  become  a  spoil  to  the  nations.  And  her  daughters 
which  are  in  the  field  shall  be  slain  by  the  sword;  and  they  shall 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold, 
I  will  bring  upon  Tyrus  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon,  a  king 
of  kings,  from  the  north,  with  horses,  and  with  chariots,  and  with 
horsemen,  and  companies,  and  much  people.  He  shall  slay  with 
the  sword  thy  daughters  in  the  field;  and  he  shall  make  a  fort 
against  thee,  and  cast  a  mount  against  thee,  and  lift  up  the  buckler 
against  thee.  And  he  shall  set  engines  of  war  against  thy  walls, 
and  with  his  axes  he  shall  break  down  thy  towers.  By  reason  of 
the  abundance  of  his  horses  their  dust  shall  cover  thee:  thy  walls 
shall  shake  at  the  noise  of  the  horsemen,  and  of  the  wheels,  and  of 
the  chariots,  when  he  shall  enter  into  thy  gates,  as  men  enter  into  a 
city  wherein  is  made  a  breach.  With  the  hoofs  of  his  horses  shall 
he  tread  down  all  thy  streets:  he  shall  slay  thy  people  by  the 
sword,  and  thy  strong  garrisons  shall  do  down  to  the  ground.  And 
they  shall  make  a  spoil  of  thy  riches,  and  make  a  prey  of  thy  mer- 
ch?indi?e;   ^nd  they  shall  break  down  thy  walls,  and  destroy  thy 


172  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

pleasant  houses;  and  they  shall  lay  thy  stones  and  thy  timber  and 
thy  dust  in  the  midst  of  the  water.  And  I  will  cause  the  noise  of 
thy  songs  to  cease;  and  the  sound  of  thy  harps  shall  be  no  more 
heard.  And  I  will  make  thee  like  the  top  of  a  rock;  thou  shalt  be 
a  place  to  spread  nets  upon;  thou  shalt  be  built  no  more:  for  I  the 
Lord  have  spoken  it,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  1-14). 

The  City  of  Tyrus  (which  means  rock)  was  partly  built 
upon  an  island  off  the  mainland  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
It  was  an  ancient  Phoenician  city  and  is  mentioned  in  Scrip- 
ture for  the  first  time  in  Joshua  xix:29,  where  it  is  called 
"The  strong  city."  It  had  a  wonderful  commerce,  a  descrip- 
tion of  which  in  its  variety,  we  find  in  the  twenty-seventh 
chapter.  It  was  inhabited  by  seafaring  men,  and  the 
prophet  Isaiah  describes  this  wealthy  and  influential  city 
as  "the  crowning  city,  whose  merchants  are  princes,  whose 
traffickers  are  the  honorable  of  the  earth"  (Isaiah  xxiii:8). 
We  read  in  the  next  chapter  how  Syria,  Persia,  Egypt, 
Spain,  Greece  and  every  quarter  of  the  ancient  world  laid 
their  choicest  and  most  precious  things  at  the  feet  of  Tyre, 
who  sat  enthroned  on  Ivory,  covered  with  blue  and  purple 
from  the  isles  of  Elishah.  Her  beauty  was  perfect  (Ez. 
xxvii:ll).  During  the  reign  of  David  and  Solomon,  Tyre 
came  into  great  prominence,  playing  an  important  role 
in  the  commercial,  political  and  religious  history  of  Israel. 
Hiram,  King  of  Tyrus  sent  cedar  trees  to  Jerusalem,  as  well 
as  workmen,  who  built  David  a  house  (2  Sam.  v:ll).  How 
Tyrus  aided  in  the  construction  of  the  temple  and  the 
palace  under  Solomon's  reign,  may  be  learned  by  consulting 
the  following  passages:  1  King  v:l-12;  vii:13-14;  1  Chroni- 
cles xiv:l;  2  Chronicles  ii:3,  11.  When  the  ships  of  Solomon 
sailed  away  to  Ophir,  "Hiram  sent  in  the  navy  his  servants, 
ship-men  that  had  knowledge  of  the  sea,  with  the  servants 
of  Solomon,  and  they  came  to  Ophir,  and  fetched  from  thence 
gold,  four  hundred  and  twenty  talents,  and  brought  it  to 
King   Solomon"    (1    Kings    ix:27-28).     The  Tyrians    were 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  173 

great  voyagers,' the  masters  of  the  sea,  and  founded  colonies, 
among  them  Carthage.  Israel's  close  relations  with  Tyrus 
continued  probably  for  centuries.  The  wicked  wife  of 
King  Ahab,  Jezebel,  was  the  daughter  of  Ethbaal,  King 
of  Tyre.  She  fostered  successfully  the  vile  Phoenician 
idolatry  among  Israel.  Tyre  also  sent  messengers  to 
King  Zedekiah,  probably  to  form  an  alliance  against  the 
approaching  Babylonian  conqueror  (Jere.  xxvii:3).  She 
was  a  proud,  luxurious  and  wicked  city,  which  defied  God. 
She  sinned  against  Jerusalem  and  the  people  Israel.  Joel 
and  Amos  speak  of  her  sins  (Joel  iii:4-6;  Amos  i:9-10) 
and  announced  her  judgment.  So  did  the  prophet  Isaiah 
(chapter  xxiii)  and  Jeremiah  (xlvli:4).  Ezekiel  gives  us 
the  completest  description  of  this  city,  her  resources,  her 
luxuries  and  far  reaching  influence,  her  King  under  Satanic 
control  and  also  the  details  of  her  judgment. 

In  the  third  verse  of  our  chapter  we  read  the  divine  an- 
nouncement of  Tyre's  fate.     "Behold  I  am  against  thee, 

0  Tyrus,  and  will  cause  many  nations  to  come  up  against 
thee,  as  the  sea  causes  its  waves  to  come  up.  And  they 
shall  destroy  the  walls  of  Tyrus,  and  break  down  her  towers; 

1  will  also  scrape  her  dust  from  her,  and  make  her  like  the 
top  of  a  rock."  It  was  to  become  a  place  for  the  spreading 
of  nets  and  a  spoil  to  the  nations.  This  great  judgment 
was  not  all  at  once  carried  out.  Nebuchadnezzar  came 
first  against  her  as  predicted  in  verses  7-11.  He  besieged 
the  Tyre  on  the  mainland  and  after  thirteen  years  took 
the  city;  while  that  part  of  Tyrus  which  was  built  upon  the 
island  in  the  sea,  protected  by  the  fleet  of  Tyrus,  escaped. 
Then  came  for  her  seventy  years  when  she  was  forgotten, 
as  predicted  by  Isaiah  (xxiii :15).  After  these  years  had 
passed  Tyrus  saw  a  startling  revival.  The  island  city  became 
more  powerful  and  wicked  than  before,  "she  committed 
fornication  with  all  the  kingdoms  of  the    world    upon  the 


174  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

face  of  the  earth"   (Is.  xxiii:17).     The  continental  Tyrus, 
however,  remained  in  ruins. 

Centuries  passed  and  it  seemed  as  if  Ezekiel's  prophecy- 
concerning  Tyre's  complete  overthrow  would  remain  un- 
fulfilled. It  was  about  240  years  after  when  the  literal 
fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  was  accomplished.  Alexander 
the  Great  came  against  the  city  built  on  the  island.  After 
seven  months  the  city  was  taken  by  means  of  a  mole,  by 
which  the  forces  of  Alexander  could  enter  the  city.  In 
constructing  this  mole,  Alexander  made  use  of  the  ruins 
of  the  old  city.  The  stones,  timber  and  the  very  dust  of 
the  destroyed  city  was  laid  into  the  sea  to  erect  the  cause- 
way which  accomplished  the  utter  ruin  of  the  wealthy 
city.  And  thus  Ezekiel's  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  "And 
they  shall  lay  thy  stones  and  thy  timber  and  thy  dust 
in  the  midst  of  the  water."  The  complete  end  of  Tyrus  had 
come.  "And  thou  shalt  be  no  more,  though  thou  be  sought 
for,  yet  shalt  thou  never  be  found  again"  (verse  21).  So 
completely  was  the  work  done  by  Alexander,  depositing  the 
debris  of  the  ruins  of  Tyrus  on  the  mainland  into  the  sea, 
that  its  exact  site  will  remain  undeterminable.  And  Alex- 
ander the  Great  fulfilled  still  another  prophecy.  Before 
he  came  on  his  mission,  directed  by  God,  to  make  an  end 
of  the  proud  and  wicked  city,  Zechariah,  the  great  post- 
exilic  prophet,  had  once  more  announced  the  fate  of  Tyrus. 
"And  Tyrus,"  said  the  Lord  through  Zechariah,  "did  build 
herself  a  stronghold,  and  heaped  up  silver  as  the  dust,  and 
fine  gold  as  the  ruin  of  the  sheets."  This  was  after  Nebu- 
chadnezzar had  destroyed  the  Tyrus  on  the  mainland  and 
she  became  the  great  island  city.  "Thus,"  said  Zechariah. 
"behold,  the  Lord  will  cast  her  out,  and  He  will  smite  her 
power  in  the  sea,  and  she  shall  be  devoured  with  fire" 
(Zech.  ix:3-4).  Alexander  did  this;  he  laid  proud  Tyrus 
in  ashes. 


THE   PROPHET    EZEKIEL.  175 

What  an  evidence  that  all  these  words  are  the  Word  of 
God!  God  looks  to  the  fulfillment  of  all  He  revealed  to 
His  prophets.  It  may  appear  often  as  if  visions  were  in 
vain  and  prophecies  remain  unaccomplished.  God  does 
not  need  to  be  in  a  hurry;  He  can  afford  to  take  His  time. 
But  finally  every  prophecy  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures 
will  be  fulfilled.  Proud  and  boasting,  like  Tyrus,  are  the 
great  nations  of  our  age.  Wealth  and  luxuries  are  seen  on 
all  sides  and  with  it  moral  evil  and  every  form  of  wickedness. 
Judgment  is  surely  in  store  for  the  nations  that  forget  God. 
As  we  know  from  the  book  of  Revelation  this  present  age 
will  culminate  in  the  formation  of  Babylon  the  Great. 
Much  in  Revelation  xviii  reminds  us  of  Tyrus  in  this  chapter 
of  Ezekiel  and  the  next  chapter. 

II.    The  Effect  of  Tyre's  Fall  and  the  Lamentation. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  to  Tyrus;  shall  not  the  isles  shake  at 
the  sound  of  thy  fall,  when  the  wounded  cry,  when  the  slaughter 
is  made  in  the  midst  of  thee.'  Then  all  the  princes  of  the  sea  shall 
come  down  from  their  thrones,  and  lay  away  their  robes,  and  put 
off  their  broidered  garments:  they  shall  clothe  themselves  with 
trembling;  they  shall  sit  upon  the  ground,  and  shall  tremble  at 
every  moment,  and  be  astonished  at  thee.  And  they  shall  take  up 
a  lamentation  for  thee,  and  say  to  thee.  How  art  thou  destroyed, 
that  wast  inhabited  of  seafaring  men,  the  renowned  city,  which 
wast  strong  in  the  sea,  she  and  her  inhabitants,  which  cause  their 
terror  to  be  on  all  that  haunt  it!  Now  shall  the  isles  tremble  in  the 
day  of  thy  fall;  yea,  the  isles  that  are  in  the  sea  shall  be  troubled 
at  thy  departure.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  When  I  shall 
make  thee  a  desolate  city,  like  the  cities  that  are  not  inhabited; 
when  I  shall  bring  up  the  deep  upon  thee,  and  great  waters  shall 
cover  thee.  When  I  shall  bring  thee  down  with  them  that  descend 
into  the  pit,  with  the  people  of  old  time,  and  shall  set  thee  in  the 
low  parts  of  the  earth,  in  places  desolate  of  old,  with  them  that  go 
down  to  the  pit,  that  thou  be  not  inhabited;  and  I  shall  set  glory 
in  the  land  of  the  living;  I  will  make  thee  a  terror,  and  thou  shalt 
be  no  more;  though  thou  be  sought  for,  yet  shalt  thou  never  be 
found  again,  saith  the  Lord  God   (verses  15-21). 


176  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  isles  and  the  princes  of  the  sea  were  deeply  affected 
by  her  fall  and  overthrow.  The  princes  came  down  from 
their  thrones  and  laid  away  their  robes  and  trembled  at 
every  moment.  The  lamentation  they  took  up  is  on  account 
of  the  destruction  of  the  renowned  city.  In  Revelation 
xviii  we  have  a  similar  lament  over  the  final  Babylon, 
the  end  in  judgment  of  a  godless,  materialistic  civilization. 
(See  Rev.  xviii:9-19).  Verses  19-20  give  a  description  of 
the  descent  of  Tyre  into  the  pit.  "When  I  shall  make 
thee  desolate,  like  the  cities  that  are  not  inhabited;  when 
I  shall  bring  up  the  deep  unto  thee,  and  great  waters  shall 
cover  thee;  when  I  shall  bring  thee  down  with  them  that 
descend  into  the  pit,  with  the  people  of  old  time,  and  shall 
set  thee  in  the  low  parts  of  the  earth,  in  places  desolate  of 
old,  with  them  that  go  down  to  the  pit,  that  thou  be  not 
inhabited;  and  I  shall  set  glory  in  the  land  of  the  living." 
The  last  sentence,  which  is  a  promise  of  glory,  can  only  refer 
to  the  coming  glory  of  the  earthly  Zion,  the  glory  in  store 
for  Israel.  Boasting,  proud  Tyrus  is  laid  in  the  dust; 
her  site  completely  blotted  out.  Other  nations  who  hate 
Israel  and  continue  in  the  wickedness  of  those  ancient 
nations  will  also  be  broken  to  pieces,  but  Zion  has  a  future 
of  glory.  When  the  time  of  the  judgment  of  the  nations 
comes  God  will  set  glory  in  Israel's  land  through  the  coming 
of  the  King  of  Glory.  We  have  already  pointed  out  the 
literal  and  startling  fulfilment  of  the  last  verse  of  this 
chapter. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  177 

GLORIOUS  TYRUS  AND  HER  FALL. 
Chapter  xxvii. 

"The  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Now, 
thou  son  of  man,  take  up  a  lamentation  for  Tyrus."  It  is 
an  interesting  description  of  the  world-wide  commerce  and 
glory  of  this  once-proud  world-city,  which  is  given  in  this 
chapter.  "Sic  transit  gloria  mundi'' — thus  passeth  the  glory 
of  the  world;  nothing  but  ruins  instead  of  the  wicked 
mistress  of  the  sea;  yea,  her  very  site  is  no  longer  known. 
And  what  her  glory  was  and  how  it  passed  away  under  divine 
displeasure  is  made  known  through  the  inspired  prophet. 
Ezekiel  certainly  never  saw  Tyrus,  nor  did  he  have  probably 
any  knowledge  of  her  grandeur,  her  great  wealth  and  far- 
reaching  commerce.  But  he  was  Jehovah's  mouthpiece  who 
put  into  his  lips  and  pen  all  these  words. 

I.    The  Glory  of  Tyrus. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me,  saying,  Now,  thou  Son 
of  man,  take  up  a  lamentation  for  Tyrus.  And  say  unto  Tyrus, 
O  thou  that  art  situate  at  the  entry  of  the  sea,  which  art  a  merchant 
of  the  people  for  many  isles,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  O  Tyrus, 
thou  hast  said,  "I  am  of  perfect  beauty."  Thy  borders  are  in  the 
midst  of  the  seas,  thy  builders  have  perfected  thy  beauty.  They 
have  made  all  thy  ship  boards  of  fir  trees  of  Senir:  they  have  taken 
cedars  from  Lebanon  to  make  masts  for  thee.  Of  the  oaks  of 
Bashan  have  they  made  thine  oars;  the  company  of  the  Ashurites 
have  made  thy  benches  of  ivory,  brought  out  of  the  isles  of  Chittim. 
Fine  linen  with  broidered  work  from  Egypt  was  that  which  thou 
spreadest  forth  to  be  thy  sail;  blue  and  purple  from  the  isles  of 
Elisha  was  that  which  covered  thee.  The  inhabitants  of  Zidon 
and  Arvad  were  thy  mariners:  thy  wise  men,  O  Tyrus,  that  were 
in  thee,  were  thy  pilots.  The  ancients  of  Gebal  and  the  wise  men 
thereof  were  in  thee  thy  calkers;  all  the  ships  of  the  sea  with  their 
mariners  were  in  thee  to  occupy  thy  merchandise.  They  of  Persia 
and  of  Lud  and  of  Phut  were  in  thine  army,  thy  men  of  war: 
they  hanged  the  shield  and  helmet  in  thee,  they  set  forth  thy  come- 
liness.    The  men  of  Arvad  with  thine  army  were  upon  thy  walls 


178  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

round  about,  and  the  Gammadims  were  in  thy  towers:  they  hanged 
their  shields  upon  thy  walls  round  about;  they  have  made  thy 
beauty  perfect  (verses  3-15). 

The  great  city  had  her  situation  at  the  entry  of  the  sea 
and  was  the  trader  for  the  people  of  many  isles.  Lifted  up 
with  pride,  the  powerful  city  boasted  of  perfect  beauty. 
"O  Tyrus,  thou  has  said,  I  am  of  perfect  beauty."  Beginning 
with  the  fourth  verse,  we  have  a  description  of  her  as  a 
monster  ship.  The  borders  in  the  midst  of  the  seas,  the 
builders  perfecting  her  beauty.  The  shipboards,  the  masts 
and  the  oars  from  the  oaks  of  Bashan  are  mentioned.  The 
Ashurites  made  benches  of  ivory  for  this  ship;  the  ivory  was 
brought  from  the  isles  of  Chittim  (Cyprus,  etc.).  Fine  linen 
and  broidered  work  from  Egypt  she  spread  for  sail.  The 
inhabitants  of  Zidon  and  Arvad  were  the  sailors  and  her 
wise  men  pilots.  It  is  all  in  the  form  of  an  allegory.  Tyrus 
also  had  an  army  gathered  from  different  nations. 

Tarshish  was  thy  merchant  by  reason  of  the  multitude  of  all 
kinds  of  riches;  with  silver,  iron,  tin,  and  lead,  they  traded  in  thy 
fairs.  Javan,  Tubal,  and  Meshech,  they  were  thy  merchants: 
they  traded  the  persons  of  men  and  vessels  of  brass  in  thy  market. 
They  of  the  house  of  Togarmah  traded  in  thy  fairs  with  horses 
and  horsemen  and  mules.  The  men  of  Dedan  were  thy  merchants; 
many  isles  were  the  merchandise  of  thine  hand:  they  brought  thee 
for  a  present  horns  of  ivory  and  ebony.  Syria  was  thy  merchant 
by  reason  of  the  multitude  of  the  wares  of  thy  making:  they  oc- 
cupied in  thy  fairs  with  emeralds,  purple,  and  broidered  work, 
and  fine  linen,  and  coral,  and  agate.  Judah,  and  the  land  of 
Israel,  they  were  thy  merchants:  they  traded  in  thy  market  wheat 
of  Minnith,  and  Pannag,  and  honey,  and  oil,  and  balm.  Damascus 
was  thy  merchant  in  the  multitude  of  the  wares  of  thy  making  for 
the  multitude  of  all  riches;  in  the  wine  of  Helbon,  and  white  wool. 
Dan  also  and  Javan  going  to  and  fro  occupied  in  thy  fairs:  bright 
iron,  cassia,  and  calamus,  were  in  thy  market.  Dedan  was  thy 
merchant  in  precious  clothes  for  chariots.  Arabia,  and  all  the 
princes  of  Kedar,  they  occupied  with  thee  in  lambs,  and  rams, 
and  goats:   in  these  were  they  thy  merchants.     The  merchandise 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  179 

of  Sheba  and  Raamah,  they  were  thy  merchants:  they  occupied  in 
thy  fairs  with  chief  of  all  spices,  and  with  all  precious  stones,  and 
gold.  Haran,  and  Canneh,  and  Eden,  the  merchants  of  Sheba, 
Asshur,  and  Chilmad,  were  thy  merchants.  These  were  thy 
merchants  in  all  sorts  of  things,  in  blue  clothes,  and  broidered  work, 
and  in  chests  of  rich  apparel,  bound  with  cords,  and  made  of  cedar, 
among  thy  merchandise.  The  ships  of  Tarshish  did  sing  of  thee  in 
thy  market:  and  thou  wast  replenished,  and  made  very  glorious 
in  the  midst  of  the  seas  (verses  16-25). 

The  commerce  of  Tyrus  is  next  vividly  described.  The 
description  begins  with  Tarshish,  then  of  great  renown,  and 
ends  with  mentioning  the  ships  of  Tarshish.  And  what  are 
the  articles  of  commerce  mentioned.''  Silver,  iron,  tin, 
lead,  slaves,  vessels  of  brass,  horses  and  mules.  Then 
there  were  horns  of  ivory  and  ebony;  emeralds,  purple 
and  broidered  work,  fine  linen,  coral  and  agate.  Wheat  of 
Minni  and  Pannag,  honey,  oil  and  balm;  wine  of  Helbon 
and  white  wool.  Then  follow  other  articles  of  commerce: 
bright  iron,  cassia,  calamus  and  precious  cloths  for  chariots. 
They  also  traded  in  live  stock:  lambs  and  rams,  and  goats, 
besides  spices,  precious  stones,  gold  chests  of  rich  apparel, 
etc.  Thus  she  was  replenished  and  made  glorious  in  the  midst 
of  the  seas.  Another  world-city  or  system  is  described  in 
the  last  book  of  the  Bible,  Babylon  the  great;  the  articles 
of  her  world-wide  commerce  are  also  given  (Rev.  xviii:12-13); 
it  is  much  like  the  commerce  of  ancient  Tyrus.  Tyrus  is  a 
picture  of  a  great  world-city:  rich,  increased  in  goods, 
enjoying  prosperity  and  filled  with  pride.  As  she  passed 
away  with  all  her  glory,  so  others  have  crumbled  into  dust. 
Equally  so  will  this  present  Godless  civilization,  culminating 
in  Babylon  the  great,  pass  away  under  the  judgment- 
stroke  of  God  (Rev.  xviii:15-19). 

II.    The  Description  of  the  Fall  of  Tyrus. 

Thy  rowers  have  brought  thee  into  great  waters:   the  east  wind 
hath  broken  thee  in  the  midst  of  the  seas.     TJiy  riches,  and  thy 


180  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

fairs,  thy  merchandise,  thy  mariners,  and  thy  pilots,  thy  calkers, 
and  the  occupiers  of  thy  merchandise,  and  all  thy  men  of  war,  that 
are  in  thee,  and  in  all  thy  company  which  is  in  the  midst  of  thee, 
shall  fall  into  the  midst  of  the  seas  in  the  day  of  thy  ruin.  The 
suburbs  shall  shake  at  the  sound  of  the  cry  of  thy  pilots.  And  all 
that  handle  the  oar,  the  mariners,  and  all  the  pilots  of  the  sea,  shall 
come  down  from  their  ships,  they  shall  stand  upon  the  land; 
And  shall  cause  their  voice  to  be  heard  against  thee,  and  shall  cry 
bitterly,  and  shall  cast  up  dust  upon  their  heads,  they  shall  wallow 
themselves  in  the  ashes:  And  they  shall  make  themselves  utterly 
bald  for  thee,  and  gird  them  with  sackcloth,  and  they  shall  weep 
for  thee  with  bitterness  of  heart  and  bitter  wailing.  And  in  their 
wailing  they  shall  take  up  a  lamentation  for  thee,  and  lament  over 
thee,  saying,  What  city  is  like  Tyrus,  like  the  destroyed  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea?  When  thy  wares  went  forth  out  of  the  seas,  thou 
iilledst  many  people;  thou  didst  enrich  the  kings  of  the  earth  with 
the  multitude  of  thy  riches  and  of  thy  merchandise.  In  the  time 
when  thou  shalt  be  broken  by  the  seas  in  the  depths  of  the  waters 
thy  merchandise  and  all  thy  company  in  the  midst  of  thee  shall 
fail.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  isles  shall  be  astonished  at  thee, 
and  their  kings  shall  be  sore  afraid,  they  shall  be  troubled  in  their 
countenance.  The  merchants  among  the  people  shall  hiss  at  thee; 
thou  shalt  be  a  terror,  and  never  shalt  be  any  more  (verses  26—30). 

The  description  of  Tyrus  as  a  ship  as  given  in  the  first  part 
of  this  chapter  is  here  maintained.  Tyrus  is  to  be  ship- 
wrecked. The  east  wind  is  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  came  against 
the  proud  city  to  accompHsh  part  of  her  ruin;  and  Alexander 
the  Great,  as  we  saw  in  our  previous  study,  completed  the 
work.  A  comparison  with  Revelation  xviii  will  bring  out  the 
striking  correspondency.  When  finally  Babylon  the  great 
falls,  that  coming  religious-commercial  world-system,  with 
Rome  as  a  center,  her  fall  and  desolation,  will  surely  be 
greater  than  the  fall  of  Tyrus.  For  this  all  is  rapidly  pre- 
paring. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  181 

THE  PRINCE  OF  TYRUS. 
Chapter  xxviii. 

The  greater  part  of  this  chapter  is  also  devoted  to  Tyrus. 
This  concluding  prophecy  about  Tyrus  is  the  most  in- 
teresting. It  concerns  the  proud  ruler  of  that  city,  who  is 
called  Prince  and  also  King.  But  this  ruler  as  Prince  and 
King  is  typical  of  another  and  more  sinister  being  as  we  learn 
from  this  chapter.  Tyrus  with  its  earthly  glory,  wealth 
and  pride,  as  pointed  out  in  the  previous  expositions,  is 
the  type  of  the  glory  of  the  world,  the  commercial  glory 
and  all  connected  with  it,  and  clearly  foreshadows  the 
final  great  commercial  world-system,  Babylon  the  Great. 
Inasmuch  then  as  Tyrus  foreshadows  this,  its  proud  and 
wicked  King  is  typical  of  the  prince  of  this  world,  the 
one  who  fell  by  pride  and  who  is  the  ruler  and  god  of  this 
age.  As  the  prince  of  this  world  he  showed  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and  their  glory, 
and  offered  all  to  the  Lord.  This  sinister  being  and  his 
coming  masterpiece,  the  Antichrist,  who  is  to  rule  during  the 
end  of  this  age  on  the  earth,  are  foreshadowed  in  a  striking 
way  in  the  ruler  of  Tyrus. 

I.    The  Prince  of  Tyrus,  his  Pride  and  his  Doom. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me,  saying:  Son  of  man, 
say  unto  the  prince  of  Tyrus,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because 
thine  heart  is  lifted  up,  and  thou  hast  said,  I  am  a  god,  I  sit  in  the 
set  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  the  seas,  yet  thou  art  a  man,  and  not  God, 
though  thou  set  thine  heart  as  the  heart  of  God.  Behold  thou  art 
wiser  than  Daniel;  there  is  no  secret  that  they  can  hide  from  thee. 
With  thy  wisdom  and  with  thine  understanding  thou  hast  gotten 
thee  riches,  and  hast  gotten  gold  and  silver  into  thy  treasures. 
By  thy  great  widsom  and  by  thy  traffic  thou  hast  increased  thy 
riches,  and  thine  heart  is  lifted  up  because  of  thy  riches.  There- 
fore thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  thou  hast  set  thine  heart 
as  the  heart  of  God.  Behold  therefore,  I  will  bring  strangers  upon 
thee,  the  terrible  of  the  nations,  and  they  shall  draw  their  swords 


182  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

against  the  beauty  of  thy  wisdom,  and  they  shall  defile  thy  bright- 
ness. They  shall  bring  thee  down  to  the  pit,  and  thou  shalt  die  the 
deaths  of  them  that  are  slain  in  the  midst  of  the  seas.  Wilt  thou 
yet  say  before  him  that  slayeth  thee,  I  am  God?  but  thou  shalt  be 
a  man  and  no  god,  in  the  hand  of  him  that  slayeth  thee.  Thou 
shalt  die  the  deaths  of  the  uncircumcised  by  the  hand  of  strangers; 
for  I  have  spoken  it,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  1-10.) 

The  Prince  of  Tyrus  who  ruled  in  the  days  of  Ezekiel  was, 
according  to  the  Jewish  historian  Josephus,  Ithobalus,  called 
in  the  Phoenecian  annals  Ithobaal  H.  The  description  of 
this  character  tells  us  that  he  was  the  consummation  of  the 
pride  and  wealth  of  Tyrus;  the  awful  pride  of  that  city  was 
headed  up  in  him.  His  heart  was  so  lifted  up  that  he  claimed 
to  be  a  god  and  that  he  occupied  the  seat  of  God,  He  also 
boasted  of  wisdom  greater  than  the  wisdom  of  Daniel,  the 
captive  in  Babylon.  By  his  cunning  and  wisdom,  as  well  as 
by  traffic,  he  had  heaped  up  riches,  and  because  of  these 
riches  he  became  still  more  lifted  up.  Like  the  prosperous 
and  wealthy  king  of  Babylon,  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  gloried 
in  his  achievements  by  saying,  "Is  not  this  great  Babylon, 
that  I  have  built  for  the  house  of  the  Kingdom  by  the  might 
of  my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my  majesty"  (Dan.  iv:30), 
the  Prince  of  Tyrus  boasted  in  arrogant  pride.  Through 
the  prophet,  his  doom  is  announced.  The  Lord  God  reckons 
with  him,  "because  thou  hast  set  thine  heart  as  the  heart  of 
God."  He  would  bring  nations  against  him  and  his  city,  and 
"they  shall  bring  thee  down  to  the  pit,  and  thou  shall  die 
the  deaths  of  them  that  are  slain  in  the  heart  of  the  seas." 
Instead  of  having  endless  being  as  a  god  he  would  die  a 
sudden  and  violent  death.  He  should  die  the  death  of  the 
uncircumcised,  typifying  vile  and  wicked  men  who  are 
far  away  from  God;  dying  deaths,  which  means  a  physical 
death  and  that  which  follows  the  wicked  after  death,  an 
eternal  separation  from  God,  with  conscious  punishment. 

The  language  used  in  describing  the  Prince  of  Tyrus  is 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  183 

used  elsewhere  in  the  Word  of  God  to  describe  another  one, 
who  is  yet  to  come.  We  mean  the  personal  Antichrist, 
the  man  of  sin.  The  marks  of  this  coming  one,  Satan's 
great  counterfeit  and  masterpiece,  are  always  pride,  self- 
exaltation.  Daniel  describes  him  in  the  following  words: 
"And  the  King  shall  do  according  to  his  will;  and  he  shall 
exalt  himself,  and  magnify  himself  above  every  god,  and  shall 
speak  marvelous  things  against  the  God  of  gods"*  (Dan. 
xi:36).  In  the  New  Testament  the  coming  Antichrist  is 
pictured  as  follows:  "Who  opposeth  and  exalteth  himself 
above  all  that  is  called  God  or  that  is  worshipped;  so  that  he 
as  God  sitteth  in  the  temple  of  God,  showing  himself  that 
he  is  God"  (2  Thess.  ii:4).  Comparing  these  statements 
with  what  is  said  of  the  Prince  of  Tyrus  we  see  at  once  the 
similarity.  The  political  head  of  the  final  form  of  the  times 
of  the  Gentiles,  the  ten  Kingdom  Empires,  the  Roman  Em- 
pire revived,  is  described  in  very  much  the  same  way.  The 
man  that  made  the  earth  to  tremble,  that  did  shake  the 
Kingdoms  (Isaiah  xiv:16)  said  in  his  heart,  "I  will  ascend  into 
heaven,  I  will  exalt  my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God  .  .  . 
I  will  be  like  the  Most  High"  (Is.  xiv:13-14).  Here  is  the 
same  characteristic,  a  God-defying  pride.  This  has  led  many 
expositors  to  call  both  of  these  persons,  the  wicked  actors 
during  the  end  of  the  age,  the  Antichrist.  But  the  one  is 
the  head  of  the  Roman  Empire,  the  Prince  that  shall  come; 
the  other  is  the  Antichrist,  the  beast  out  of  the  earth 
(Rev.  xiii:10).  Both  work  together  under  Satan's  control 
and   are  energized  by  Satan,   therefore  they  manifest  the 


*It  is  well  to  state  here  that  Daniel  mentions  Antichrist  but  once 
in  his  prophecies,  in  chapter  xi:36,  etc.  The  little  horn  In  Dan.  vii 
is  the  head  of  the  revived  Roman  Empire;  the  little  horn  in  Dan.  viii 
was  Antiochus  Epiphanus,  the  type  of  the  King  of  the  North  who  will 
invade  the  pleasant  land,  Palestine,  during  the  time  of  the  great  tribu- 
lation. 


184  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

same  characteristics.  It  is  evident  that  the  ruler  of  Tyrus 
as  Prince  foreshadows  the  coming  Antichrist,  and  we  have 
to  see  next  the  significance  that  the  ruler  of  Tyrus  is  addressed 
as  King  and  the  one  who  stands  behind  him. 

II.    The  Lamentations  over  the  King  of  Tyrus. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying.  Son  of 
man,  take  up  a  lamentation  upon  the  king  of  Tyrus,  and  say  unto 
him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Thou  sealest  up  the  sum,  full  of 
wisdom,  and  perfect  in  beauty.  Thou  hast  been  in  Eden  the  garden 
of  God;  every  precious  stone  was  thy  covering,  the  sardius,  topaz, 
and  the  diamond,  the  beryl,  the  onyx,  and  the  jasper,  the  sapphire, 
the  emerald,  and  the  carbuncle,  and  gold:  the  workmanship  of  thy 
tabrets  and  of  thy  pipes  was  prepared  in  thee  in  the  day  that  thou 
wast  created.  Thou  art  the  anointed  cherub  that  covereth;  and 
I  have  set  thee  so;  thou  was  upon  the  holy  mountain  of  God; 
thou  hast  walked  up  and  down  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of  fire. 
Thou  wast  perfect  in  thy  ways  from  the  day  that  thou  wast  created, 
till  Iniquity  was  found  in  thee.  By  the  multitude  of  thy  merchan- 
dise they  have  filled  the  midst  of  thee  with  violence,  and  thou 
hast  sinned:  therefore  I  will  cast  thee  as  profane  out  of  the  moun- 
tain of  God:  and  I  will  destroy  thee,  O  covering  cherub,  from  the 
midst  of  the  stones  of  fire.  Thine  heart  was  lifted  up  because  of  thy 
beauty,  thou  hast  corrupted  thy  wisdom  by  reason  of  thy  bright- 
ness: I  will  cast  thee  to  the  ground,  I  will  lay  thee  before  kings, 
that  they  may  behold  thee.  Thou  hast  defiled  thy  sanctuaries  by 
the  multitude  of  thine  iniquities,  by  the  iniquity  of  thy  traffick; 
therefore  will  I  bring  forth  a  fire  from  the  midst  of  thee,  it  shall  de- 
vour thee,  and  I  will  bring  thee  to  ashes  upon  the  earth  in  the  sight 
of  all  them  that  behold  thee.  All  they  that  know  thee  among  the 
people  shall  be  astonished  at  thee:  thou  shalt  be  a  terror,  and  never 
shalt  thou  be  any  more  (verses  11-19). 

The  Prince  and  the  King  are  identical,  and  not  different 
persons  as  some  say.  But  what  is  said  now  of  the  ruler  of 
Tyrus  as  king  could  never  be  said  of  a  mere  human  being. 
Hardly  any  of  the  descriptions  given  in  these  verses  can  be 
applied  to  the  heathen  King  of  Tyrus.  The  description  fits 
another  being,  the  person  who  was  originally  the  greatest 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  185 

and  most  beautiful  creature  of  God,  but  has  become  -  a 
fallen  creature  and  the  enemy  of  God.  In  one  word,  it  is 
Satan  in  his  original  greatness  and  in  his  fall  who  is  revealed 
in  connection  with  the  King  of  Tyrus.  Satan  was  the  power 
behind  the  throne  of  the  Tyrian  King,  as  Satan  is  still  the 
god  of  this  age  who  controls  the  kingdoms  of  the  world. 
Inasmuch,  then,  as  Tyrus  is  a  type  of  the  commercial  glory 
of  the  world,  its  wealth  and  pride,  foreshadowing  the  final 
great  world-city  or  world-system,  Babylon,  the  ruler  of 
Tyrus,  spoken  of  as  Prince,  foreshadows  the  Antichrist, 
while  as  King,  Satan  himself  stands  behind  him  as  the  dom- 
ineering power.  The  descriptions  given  of  Satan  as  an  un- 
fallen  being,  show  that  he  was  originally  a  marvelous  being, 
full  of  wisdom  and  perfect  in  beauty.  From  Jude's  epistle  we 
learn  that  even  Michael  still  recognized  in  him  the  grandeur 
of  his  unfallen  past  and  did  not  bring  a  railing  accusation 
against  him  (Jude  verses  8-10).  He  was  in  Eden,  the  gar- 
den of  God,  and  every  precious  stone  was  his  covering.  It 
is  a  description  of  Satan's  original  place  and  of  his  great 
beauty.  Furthermore,  he  was  the  anointed  cherub  that 
covereth;  the  Lord  had  set  him  to  be  this.  As  the  anointed, 
divinely  chosen  cherub  he  held  an  exalted  position  in  con- 
nection with  the  government  of  the  throne  of  God.*  Every- 
thing shows  that  this  majectic  creature  possessed  a  place  of 
great  dignity,  being  "upon  the  holy  mountain  of  God," 
walking  up  and  down  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of  fire,  he 
was  ever  present  and  moving  about  in  the  fiery  glory  of  a 
holy  and  righteous  God.  "Thou  was  perfect  in  thy  ways 
from  the  day  that  thou  wast  created  till  unrighteousness 
was  found  in  thee."  Surely  the  first  part  of  this  verse  could 
never  apply  to  the  King  of  Tyrus  nor  to  any  other  human; 


*For  a  detailed  and  excellent  exposition  of  this  passage  see  the  book 
on  "Satan,"  by  F.  C.  Jennings,  pp.  43-48. 


186  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

it  is  a  picture  of  the  unfallen  glorious  creature  of  God.  But 
unrighteousness  was  found  in  him.  He  sinned,  and  as  a 
result  divine  sentence  is  pronounced  upon  him.  Yet  this 
sentence  in  verse  16  is  not  yet  executed.  He  is  not  yet 
cast  out  in  the  fullest  sense,  nor  bruised  completely,  nor  is 
he  in  the  lake  of  fire.  All  this  is  future.  God  in  His  all-wise 
purpose  delays  the  complete  execution  of  this  judgment. 
But  the  day  will  come  when  he,  who  walked  once  in  the 
presence  of  the  glory  of  God,  in  the  midst  of  the  stones  of 
fire,  will  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire,  his  eternal  abode. 
What  was  his  sin.^  "Thy  heart  was  lifted  up  because  of 
thy  beauty;  thou  has  corrupted  thy  wisdom  by  reason  of 
thy  brightness."  He  became  puffed  up,  lifted  up  with  pride 
(1  Tim.  iii:6)  on  account  of  his  own  beauty  and  brightness. 
There  can  be  no  question,  but  the  person  so  closely  linked 
with  the  King  of  Tyrus  is  Satan.  The  passage  contains 
one  of  the  most  interestig  revelations  we  have  in  the  Bible 
on  the  person  and  dignity  of  that  fallen  being.  Verses  18 
and  19  show  that  the  King  is  in  view  and  the  fate  of  his  city 
Tyrus:  "I  have  turned  thee  to  ashes  upon  the  earth  in  the 
sight  of  all  them  that  behold  thee." 

III.    A  Prophecy  Concerning  Zidon. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me  saying:  Son  of  man,  set 
thy  face  against  Zidon,  and  prophesy  against  it.  And  say,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Zidon;  and  I  will 
be  glorified  in  the  midst  of  thee:  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord,  when  I  shall  have  executed  judgments  in  her,  and  shall  be 
sanctified  in  her.  For  I  will  send  into  her  pestilence,  and  blood 
into  her  streets;  and  the  wounded  shall  be  judged  in  the  midst  of 
her  by  the  sword  upon  her  on  every  side;  and  they  shall  know  that 
I  am  the  Lord.  And  there  shall  be  no  more  a  pricking  brier  unto 
the  house  of  Israel,  nor  any  grieving  thorn  of  all  that  are  round  about 
them,  that  despiseth  them;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
God.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  When  I  shall  have  gathered  the 
house  of  Israel  from  the  people  among  whom  they  are  scattered, 
and  shall  be  sanctified  in  them  in  the  sight  of  the  heathen,  then  shall 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  187 

they  dwell  in  their  land  that  I  have  given  to  my  servant  Jacob. 
And  they  shall  dwell  safely  therein,  and  shall  build  houses,  and  plant 
vineyards;  yea,  they  shall  dwell  with  confidence,  when  I  have 
executed  judgments  upon  all  those  that  despise  them  round  about 
them;    and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses  20-26). 

Zidon  (or  Sidon)  was  situated  twenty  miles  north  of 
Tyrus.  Like  Tyrus  she  was  built  offshore  on  island  rocks. 
For  many  years  Zidon  was  even  more  prominent  and  pros- 
perous than  Tyrus.  She  was  burnt  after  a  revolt  against 
Artaxerxes  Ochus,  351  B.  C,  but  later  rebuilt.  See  its  men- 
tion in  the  New  Testament  in  Mark  iii:8,  vii:24.  Jehovah 
announces  that  He  would  execute  judgments  in  Zidon  and 
thus  be  glorified  and  sanctified  in  her.  When  a  holy  God 
deals  in  judgments  with  sin,  with  individuals  and  nations, 
He  maintains  thereby  His  holy  character.  He  is  light  in 
whom  there  is  no  darkness  at  all  and  a  consuming  fire.  It 
has  been  said  that  there  is  no  special  transgression  mentioned 
why  Zidon  should  be  judged.  No  doubt  she  was  as  proud 
as  her  sister  city  Tyrus.  But  verse  25  tells  us  the  reason; 
she  was  a  pricking  brier  to  the  house  of  Israel.  She  sinned 
against  her  neighbor,  the  people  of  God,  and  for  that  judg- 
ment came  on  her.  And  so  can  present-day  nations  not 
escape  judgment  for  their  sins  against  the  Jews.  The  last 
two  verses  are  a  prophecy  relating  to  Israel's  restoration. 
Needlesss  to  say  up  to  this  time  their  restoration  has  not 
taken  place.  The  time  is  given  when  it  will  come,  when  the 
Lord  executes  judgment  upon  the  nations.  When  our  Lord 
comes  again  these  judgments  will  fall.  And  how  near  all 
this  must  be  when  we  behold  nations  filling  full  the 
measure  of  their  wickedness  and  the  Jews  as  a  suffering 
people  with  faces  turned  towards  their  homeland. 


188  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

PROPHECIES  CONCERNING  EGYPT. 

Chapter  xxix. 

The  predictions  about  Tyrus  and  Zidon  are  followed  by  the 
prophecies  against  Egypt.  These  prophecies  are  of  even 
greater  interest  than  those  preceding.  First  Pharaoh  and 
Egypt  are  addressed;  the  coming  judgment  and  the  desola- 
tion of  the  land  is  announced.  A  restoration  after  forty 
years  is  promised  when  the  captivity  of  Egypt  is  to  be  brought 
again;  but  the  former  glory  will  be  departed  and  Egypt's 
decline,  to  be  the  basest  of  the  kingdoms,  is  predicted.  The 
King  of  Babylon  is  announced  as  the  conqueror  of  Egypt 
(chapter  xxix) .  In  chapter  xxx  the  destruction  of  Egypt,  her 
people  and  her  allies,  is  vividly  described;  at  the  close  of  this 
chapter  the  defeat  of  Pharaoh  by  Nebuchadnezzar  is  pre- 
dicted. In  chapter  xxxi  the  King  of  Egypt  is  described  as  a 
mighty  cedar;  its  fall  is  foretold  as  well  as  the  effect  of 
Pharaoh's  fall  among  the  nations.  Chapter  xxxii  contains  a 
lamentation  over  the  King  of  Egypt.  In  the  second  half  of 
this  chapter,  the  concluding  section  of  these  prophecies 
against  Egypt,  we  find  a  solemn  dirge  over  the  doomed 
people.  The  unseen  regions  are  unveiled  and  those  who 
enjoyed  earthly  honors  and  glory  are  seen  in  the  place  of  dis- 
honor, misery  and  shame. 

I.    The  Prediction  of  Egypt's  Desolation. 

In  the  tenth  year,  in  the  tenth  month,  in  the  twelfth  day  of  the 
month,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  set 
thy  face  against  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  and  prophesy  against  him, 
and  against  all  Egypt:  Speak,  and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  the  great  dragon 
that  lieth  in  the  midst  of  his  rivers,  which  hath  said,  My  river  is 
mine  own,  and  I  have  made  it  for  myself.  But  I  will  put  hooks  in 
thy  jaws,  and  I  will  cause  the  fish  of  thy  rivers  to  stick  unto  thy 
scales,  and  I  will  bring  thee  up  out  of  the  midst  of  thy  rivers,  and  all 
.the  fish  of  thy  rivers  shall  stick  unto  thy  scales.     And  I  will  leave 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  189 

thee  thrown  into  the  wilderness,  thee  and  all  the  fish  of  thy  rivers: 
thou  shalt  fall  upon  the  open  fields;  thou  shalt  not  be  brought  to- 
gether, nor  gathered:  I  have  given  thee  for  meat  to  the  beasts  of  the 
field  and  to  the  fowls  of  the  heaven.  And  all  the  inhabitants  of 
Egypt  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  because  they  have  been  a  staff 
of  reed  to  the  house  of  Israel.  When  they  took  hold  of  thee  by  thy 
hand,  thou  didst  break,  and  rend  all  their  shoulder:  and  when  they 
leaned  upon  thee,  thou  brakest,  and  madest  all  their  loins  to  be  at  a 
stand.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  bring 
a  sword  upon  thee,  and  cut  off  man  and  beast  out  of  thee.  And 
the  land  of  Egypt  shall  be  desolate  and  waste;  and  they  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord:  because  he  hath  said,  The  river  is  mine,  and  I 
I  have  made  it.  Behold,  therefore  I  am  against  thee,  and  against 
thy  rivers,  and  I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  utterly  waste  and 
desolate,  from  the  tower  of  Syene  even  unto  the  border  of  Ethiopia. 
No  foot  of  man  shall  pass  thorough  it,  nor  foot  of  beast  shall  pass 
through  it,  neither  shall  it  be  inhabited  forty  years.  And  I  will 
make  the  land  of  Egypt  desolate  in  the  midst  of  the  countries  that 
are  desolate,  and  her  cities  among  the  cities  that  are  laid  waste 
shall  be  desolate  forty  years:  and  I  will  scatter  the  Egyptians  among 
the  nations,  and  will  disperse  them  through  the  countries 
(verses  1-12). 

The  King  of  Egypt  addressed  In  this  prophecy  was  Phar- 
aoh-Hophra,  called  in  Greek,  Apries.  He  was  the  grandson 
of  Pharaoh-Necho  who  defeated  King  Josiah  at  Meggido 
(2  Chronicles  xxxv :20-27)  King  Zedekiah  of  Judah  expected 
help  and  relief  from  Pharaoh-Hophra,  when  Jerusalem  was 
besieged.  The  Egyptian  army  under  Hophra  advanced 
through  Phoenicia  amiforced  the  Chaldeans  to  raise  the  siege 
of  Jerusalem  (Jer.  3^xv:5-7).  But  the  relief  was  only  tem- 
porary, for  the  Egyptian  army  had  to  retire.  The  prophet 
Jeremiah  announced  also  the  doom  of  Hophra,  associating  it 
with  Zedekiah's  doom:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Behold,  I  will 
give  Pharaoh-Hophra,  King  of  Egypt,  into  the  hands  of  his 
enemies,  and  into  the  hand  of  them  that  seek  his  life;  as  I 
gave  Zedekiah,  King  of  Judah,  into  the  hand  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, King  of  Babylon,  his  enemy,  and  that  sought  his  life" 
(Jer.  xliv:30). 


190  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Here  he  is  called  "the  great  dragon  that  lieth  in  the  midst 
of  his  rivers."  He  boasts,  "My  river  is  mine  own  and  I  have 
made  it  for  myself."  The  river  Nile,  with  its  different 
branches  is  meant.  Pharaoh  is  compared  to  a  sea  monster, 
which  probably  means  the  crocodile,  worshipped  by  the 
Egyptians;  it  was  symbolical  of  power  and  pride.*  But  the 
word  "dragon"  also  reminds  us  of  Satan  who  is  called  twelve 
times  in  the  Book  of  Revelation  the  dragon.  As  we  learned 
from  the  previous  chapter,  behind  the  King  of  Tyrus  stood 
Satan  as  master  of  the  great  city,  and  the  same  being,  the 
dragon,  controlled  also  Pharaoh-Hophra  and  the  land  of 
Egypt.  The  dragon  was  worshipped  by  many  ancient  nations 
and  is  still  today  the  emblem  of  the  Chinese  Empire.  And  the 
same  ungodly  self-ex.altation  which  characterized  Tyrus  and 
its  king,  which  led  to  its  overthrow  and  judgment,  was  shared 
by  the  King  of  Egypt.  Proud  and  blasphemous  were  his 
words  that  he  had  made  the  river  for  himself;  he  defied  God 
and  refused  to  own  his  power.  Therefore,  his  judgment  is  an- 
nounced which  would  not  alone  strike  him  but  all  the  other 
inhabitants  of  the  land  and  all  who  looked  to  Egypt  for  help. 
"I  will  leave  thee  thrown  into  the  wilderness,  thee  and  all  the 
fish  of  thy  rivers  (the  people  of  the  land) ;  thou  shalt  fall  upon 
the  open  field;  thou  shalt  not  be  brought  together  nor 
gathered.  I  have  given  thee  for  meat  to  the  beasts  of  the 
field  and  to  the  fowls  of  the  heaven."  It  is  a  striking 
allegory.  In  verses  6  and  7  Israel's  sin  is  mentioned  when 
the  people  of  God  turned  to  this  wicked  land  for  help,  the 
land  where  their  forefathers  had  groaned  and  suffered  such 
cruelty.  Isaiah  had  solemnly  warned  against  such  an  alliance 
(Isaiah  xxx:6-7;  xxxi:3)  and  so  had  Jeremiah  (Jer.  ii:36; 
xxxvii:7).     Interesting  it  is  to  find  that  the  same  illustration 


*The  crocodile  was  often  used  on  Egyptian  seal-rings  as  well  as  on 
Roman  coins,  which  pictured  Egypt  as  a  monster  crocodile. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  191 

of  disaster  for  Israel  by  trusting  in  Egypt  had  been  used  by 
the  Assyrian  officer  in  addressing  Hezekiah:  "Now,  behold, 
thou  trustest  upon  the  staff  of  this  bruised  reed,  upon  Egypt, 
on  which,  if  a  man  lean,  it  will  go  into  his  hand,  and  pierce 
it;  so  is  Pharaoh,  King  of  Egypt,  unto  all  that  trust  on 
him"  (2  Kings  xviii:21).  And  so  it  was.  Egypt  gave  no 
help  to  Israel  and  only  wounded  them  grievously  as  a  staff 
which  breaks  under  the  weight  of  him  who  leaneth  upon  it — 
breaks  and  pierces  the  hand.  Whenever  God's  people  turn 
to  Egypt  (the  type  of  the  world)  for  help  and  form  ungodly 
alliances  they  do  so  to  their  own  hurt  and  shame. 

Then  follows  the  explanation  of  the  allegory  and,  once 
more,  the  reason  of  the  coming  desolation  of  Egypt  is  stated, 
because  the  proud  King  had  said,  "The  river  is  mine,  and  I 
have  made  it."  The  entire  land  of  Egypt  was  to  be  wasted 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  It  was  to  become  desolate  and 
for  the  period  of  forty  years  it  was  not  to  be  inhabited.  "And 
I  will  make  the  land  of  Egypt  desolate  in  the  midst  of  the 
countries  that  are  desolate,  and  her  cities  among  the  cities 
that  are  laid  waste  shall  be  desolate  forty  years,  and  I  will 
scatter  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations,  and  will  disperse 
them  through  the  countries"  (verse  12). 

But  have  these  predictions  been  fulfilled.''  Did  Egypt 
pass  through  a  period  of  forty  years'  desolation  and  did  a 
restoration  take  place  after  the  forty  years.''  Critics  claim 
that  these  predictions  were  never  literally  fulfilled  and  that 
Nebuchadnezzar  did  not  invade  Egypt  during  the  reign  of 
Hophra.  They  point  to  the  historical  evidence  that  Amasis 
followed  Hophra  as  King  of  Egypt,  and  under  his  reign 
Egypt  was  in  a  very  flourishing  condition.  The  historian, 
Herodotus,  gives  this  information  and  it  is  fully  confirmed 
by  Egyptian  records  on  monuments.  But  did  the  prophet 
Ezekiel  predict  that  Egypt  should  be  invaded  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar during  the  reign  of  Pharaoh-Hophra.?     He  predicts 


192  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

that  Nebuchadnezzar  should  conquer  Egypt,  but  the  critics 
have  made  a  serious  blunder  by  overlooking  the  date  of  the 
prophecy  in  which  Nebuchadnezzar's  invasion  is  announced. 
The  chapter  under  our  consideration  begins  with  a  definite 
date.  It  was  in  the  tenth  year  when  he  received  the  message 
concerning  Hophra;  but  it  was  seventeen  years  later  when 
Nebuchadnezzar's  invasion  was  predicted,  in  the  twenty- 
seventh  year  (verse  17).  Hophra's  doom  and  the  desolation 
of  Egypt  was  first  announced,  but  the  fulfillment  came  years 
later.  Ezekiel  does  not  state  that  Hophra  should  be  slain  by 
Nebuchadnezzar,  nor  does  Jeremiah  predict  this  (Jeremiah 
^^:30).     Hophra  was  dethroned  by  Amasis  and  later  slain. 

II.    Egypt's  Restoration  and  Future  as  a  Kingdom. 

Yet  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  At  the  end  of  forty  years  will  I 
gather  the  Egyptians  from  the  people  whither  they  were  scattered: 
and  I  will  bring  again  the  captivity  of  Egypt,  and  will  cause  them  to 
return  into  the  land  of  Pathros,  Into  the  land  of  their  habitation; 
and  they  shall  be  there  a  base  kingdom.  It  shall  be  the  basest 
of  the  kingdoms,  neither  shall  it  exalt  itself  any  more  above  the 
nations:  for  I  will  diminish  them,  that  they  shall  no  more  rule  over 
the  nations.  And  It  shall  be  no  more  the  confidence  of  the  house 
of  Israel,  which  bringeth  their  iniquity  to  remembrance,  when  they 
shall  look  after  them:  but  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  God 
(verses  13-16). 

The  future  of  Egypt  after  its  desolation  of  forty  years  is 
revealed  in  this  paragraph.  Nebuchadnezzar's  conquest  of 
Egypt  follows  in  the  next  paragraph.  The  forty  years  of 
desolation,  during  which  the  Egyptians  were  dispersed  in 
different  countries  are  difficult  to  locate  historically.  Some 
apply  them  altogether  to  the  future.  B.  W.  Newton,  in  his 
"Babylon  and  Egypt,"  claims  that  all  this  will  be  accom- 
plished in  the  future.  We  quote  his  words:  "It  will  be 
fearfully  smitten;  and  for  forty  years  after  the  Millennium 
has  commenced,  it  will  be  utterly  desolate.  No  foot  of  man 
shall  pass  through  it,  nor  foot  of  beast  shall  pass  through  it, 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  193 

neither  shall  it  be  inhabited  forty  years  (Ezekiel  xxix:ll). 
But,  finally,  it  shall  be  revived,  and  together  with  Israel  and 
Assyria  shall  receive  that  wondrous  blessing  which  the  con- 
cluding verses  of  the  nineteenth  of  Isaiah  describe."*  That 
Egypt  will  have  a  future  of  blessing  no  careful  student  of  the 
prophetic  Word  will  deny.  Isaiah  xix  shows  its  future  his- 
tory, both  in  judgment  and  in  blessing.  Yet  the  prediction 
of  Ezekiel  that  Egypt  after  the  forty  years  of  desolation 
should  be  the  basest  of  all  kingdoms  and  shall  have  no  more 
rule,  but  be  in  a  diminished  condition,  excludes  the  applica- 
tion of  this  prophecy  to  the  coming  Millennium.  Egypt  had 
such  a  period  of  forty  years'  devastation,  though  the  exact 
history  of  it  may  not  be  known  to  us.  Prophecy  is  not 
learned  by  historical  events,  but  history  is  revealed  in 
prophecy.  We  believe  prophecies,  not  because  history  has 
measured  up  to  them,  but  we  believe  them  because  they  are 
the  inerrant  Word  of  God.  After  Egypt's  sorrowful  forty 
years'  experience  and  dispersion,  this  proud  country  went 
into  a  steady  decline,  and  the  Word  of  God  was  literally  ful- 
filled when  it  became  the  basest  of  kingdoms,  so  that  Israel 
put  confidence  no  longer  in  Egypt.  After  Nebuchadnezzar's 
raid,  Egypt  declined  and  sank  lower  still  under  the  Persians 
and  the  Ptolemies,  until  she  became  the  granary  of  Rome. 
And  this  degradation  has  continued  throughout  the  centuries 
of  this  age  so  that  Egypt  is  literally  the  basest  of  the  king- 
doms, t  That  she  will  play  her  part  in  the  future  at  the  close 
of  our  age  we  learn  from  Daniel's  prophecy  (Dan.  xi:36-45). 
Egypt  will  rise  into  prominence  ere  long  in  connection  with 
the  present  day  world  conflict. 


*Babylon  and  Egypt,  page  192. 

^Wonders    of   Prophecy,    by    J.    Urquhart,  gives  valuable    evidence 
on  the  literal  fulfillment  of  Ezekiel's  prophecy. 


194  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

III.    The  Conquest  of  Nebuchadnez2ar. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  seven  and  twentieth  year,  in  the  first 
month,  in  the  first  day  of  the  month,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
me,  saying.  Son  of  man,  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon  caused 
his  army  to  serve  a  great  service  against  Tyrus:  every  head  was 
made  bald  and  every  shoulder  was  peeled:  yet  he  had  no  wages, 
nor  his  army,  for  Tyrus,  for  the  service  that  he  had  served  against 
it.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  give  the  land 
of  Egypt  unto  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of  Babylon;  and  he  shall  take 
her  multitude,  and  take  her  spoil,  and  take  her  prey;  and  it  shall  be 
the  wages  for  his  army.  I  have  given  him  the  land  of  Egypt  for 
his  labor  wherewith  he  served  against  it,  because  they  wrought 
for  me,  saith  the  Lord  God.  In  that  day  will  I  cause  the  horn  of  the 
house  of  Israel  to  bud  forth,  and  I  will  give  thee  the  opening  of  the 
mouth  in  the  midst  of  them;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord    (verses  17-21). 

As  already  stated,  this  prophecy  is  dated  seventeen  years 
after  the  general  prediction  of  Egypt's  judgment.  That 
Nebuchadnezzar  invaded  Egypt  after  he  came  against 
Tyrus  is  mentioned  by  Josephus  the  Jewish  historian  and 
also  by  an  Assyrian  inscription  which  gives  the  record  of 
this  campaign  as  having  taken  place  in  the  thirty-seventh 
year  of  the  reign  of  Nebuchadnezzar.*  Nothing  is  said  of 
desolation  and  captivity  in  this  later  prophecy  concerning 
Egypt's  conquest.  Critics  claim  that  Ezekiel  had  made  a 
mistake  in  his  former  prediction.  We  quote  from  the  New 
Century  Bible:  "Ezekiel  evidently  saw  that  his  former 
prophecy  was  mistaken,  and  he  now  expected  the  defeat, 
though  not  necessarily  the  utter  destruction,  of  Egypt.  The 
difference  in  detail  is  noticeable  between  these  verses  and  the 
prophecy  on  Egypt  seventeen  years  earlier."  But  Ezekiel 
was  not  mistaken.     There  was  no  need  of  repeating  the  pre- 


*Nebuchadnezzar's  name  is  given  by  Ezekiel  as  Nebucliadrezzar. 
Both  spellings  were  in  vogue.  Ezekiel  spells  the  name  with  "r"  and 
Jeremiah  uses  both  spellings  throughout  his  book. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  195 

dieted  desolation  of  Egypt;  Nebuchadnezzar  executed  the 
work  of  judgment.  He  suffered,  evidently,  disappointment 
m  the  siege  of  Tyrus,  the  immense  wealth  of  that  city  he 
could  not  touch.  And,  as  he  did  not  get  wages  from  Tyrus, 
nor  for  his  great  army,  the  Lord,  whose  instrument  in  judg- 
ment the  King  of  Babylon  was,  gave  him  Egypt.  Here 
Nebuchadnezzar  found  great  spoil  and  vast  treasures,  which, 
according  to  divine  appointment,  were  the  wages  for  his 
army.  When  this  took  place,  there  came  an  unrecorded 
revival  in  Israel  and  the  prophet  gave  his  message  in  the 
midst  of  them. 

EGYPT^S  FUTURE  DESOLATION. 
Chapter  xxx. 

The  destruction  of  Egypt  and  her  allies  is  now  revealed 
to  the  prophet.  It  is  a  remarkable  prophecy  for  the  pre- 
dictions concTferning  the  humiliation  and  desolation  of 
Egypt,  the  once  powerful  nation  of  culture,  have  found  a 
most  Interesting  fulfillment.  The  leading  cities  of  Egypt 
are  mentioned,  which  have  long  ago  been  wasted  and  their 
magnificent  temples  have  crumbled  into  dust.  In  the 
second  half  of  this  chapter  the  King  of  Babylon  as  the 
executioner  of  the  decrees  of  God  is  seen.  The  sword  of 
judgment  was  put  into  Nebuchadnezzar's  hand  by  God, 
so  that  he  might  stretch  it  out  upon  the  land  of  Egypt. 

I.  The  Desolation  of  Egypt  and  her  Allies. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  me  saying:  Son  of  man 
prophesy  and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Howl  ye,  alas  for  the 
day!  For  the  day  is  near,  even  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  a  cloudy 
day;  it  shall  be  the  time  of  the  heathen.  And  the  sword  shall 
come  upon  Egypt,  and  great  pain  shall  be  in  Ethiopia,  when  the 
slain  shall  fall  in  Egypt,  and  they  shall  take  away  her  multitude, 
and  her  foundations  shall  be  broken  down.  Ethiopia,  and  Libya, 
and  Lydia,  and  all  the  mingled  people,  and  Chub,  and  the  men 


196  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

of  the  land  that  is  in  league,  shall  fall  with  them  by  the  sword. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord;  They  also  that  uphold  Egypt  shall  fall; 
and  the  pride  of  her  power  shall  come  down:  from  the  tower  of 
Syene  shall  they  fall  in  it  by  the  sword,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And 
they  shall  be  desolate  in  the  midst  of  the  countries  that  are  deso- 
late, and  her  cities  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  the  cities  that  are 
wasted.  And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have 
set  a  fire  in  Egypt,  and  when  all  her  helpers  shall  be  destroyed.  In 
that  day  shall  messengers  go  forth  from  me  in  ships  to  make  the 
careless  Ethiopians  afraid,  and  great  pain  shall  come  upon  them, 
as  in  the  day  of  Egypt:  for,  lo,  it  cometh.  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God:  I  will  also  make  the  multitude  of  Egypt  to  cease  by  the  hand 
of  Nebuchadrezzar,  king  of  Babylon.  He  and  his  people  with  him, 
the  terrible  of  the  nations,  shall  be  brought  to  destroy  the  land: 
and  they  shall  draw  their  swords  against  Egypt,  and  fill  the  land 
with  the  slain.  And  I  will  make  the  rivers  dry,  and  sell  the  land  into 
the  hand  of  the  wicked;  and  I  will  make  the  land  waste,  and  all  that 
is  therein,  by  the  hand  of  strangers:  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it 
(verses  1-13). 

The  prophet's  first  utterance  is  concerning  the  day. 
"Howl  ye!  Alas  for  the  day!  For  the  day  is  near,*  even 
the  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  a  cloudy  day;  it  shall  be  the  time 
of  the  Gentiles."  What  day  is  this?  Other  prophets 
mention  the  day  of  Jehovah  as  a  day  of  judgment  and  wrath 
when  the  Lord  will  deal  in  His  righteousness  with  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  See  Isaiah  ii;  xiii:6,  9;  Joel  i:15;  ii:l,  11; 
iii:14;  Amos  v:18,  20;  Obad.  15;  Zeph.  i:7,  14;  Zech. 
xivtl,  etc.  This  day  in  its  final  meaning  is  the  day  on  which 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  be  visibly  revealed  from  heaven. 
It  is  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  in  1  Thess.  v:2; 
2  Thess.  ii:2  (where  "day  of  Christ"  should  be  rendered 
"day  of  the  Lord")  and  2  Peter  iii:10.  This  day  will  bring 
"man's  day"  to  a  close  and  usher  in  a  new  age,  when  right- 
eousness shall  reign  as  grace  reigns  now.    This  day  of  com- 


*This  may  also  be  rendered  "the  day  draweth  near,  even  the  day  of 
the  Lord  draweth  near." 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  197 

ing  judgment  of  all  nations  is  seen  also  here  in  a  prophetic 
perspective.  All  previous  judgments  of  nations  as  announced 
by  God's  prophets,  nations  which  sinned  against  Israel  the 
chosen  people,  foreshadow  the  one  great  day,  when  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles  end  in  the  revealed  manner  (Dan. 
ii:34;  vii:10-14).  What  came  upon  Egypt  in  the  past 
through  divine  judgment  will  happen  to  the  Gentile  nations 
in  the  future  at  the  close  of  our  age,  "when  the  Lord  Jesus 
shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  with  His  mighty  angels,  in 
flaming  fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not 
God,  and  that  obey  not  the  Gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
(2  Thess.  i:7-8).  Ever  since  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  began 
with  Nebuchadnezzar  the  divinely  appointed  head  (Jeremiah 
xxvii:4-8)  this  day  of  the  Lord  has  been  drawing  near,  till 
now  with  the  stupendous  present  day  events,  we  can  see 
this  day  rapidly  approaching. 

The  sword  was  to  fall  upon  Egypt  as  well  as  upon  Ethiopia, 
Libya  and  Lydia  (Hebrew:  Phut  and  Lud,  see  xxvii:10),  and 
all  others  who  were  in  league  with  them.  Her  foundations 
were  to  be  broken  down  and  the  pride  of  her  power  shall 
come  down.  All  this  has  come  to  pass  and  for  many  cen- 
turies the  once  powerful  and  proud  Egypt  has  thus  been 
broken  down.  From  Migdol  to  Syene  (not  from  the  tower 
of  Syene)  were  they  to  fall  by  the  sword  of  the  Lord.  Verse 
7  shows  the  wide  sweep  of  the  judgment,  covering  the 
surrounding  countries.  "And  they  shall  be  desolate  in  the 
midst  of  the  countries  that  are  desolate,  and  her  cities  shall 
be  in  the  midst  of  the  cities  that  are  wasted."  Their  deso- 
lation was  to  be  a  desolation  in  the  midst  of  desolations. 
It  has  come  literally  true.  The  surrounding  countries 
shared  the  desolation  of  the  land  itself.  She  has  been  rightly 
called  "the  land  of  ruins,"  a  vast  burial  place  of  the  art, 
architecture  and  glory  of  the  past,  and  her  present  towns 
(except  Alexandria  which  cannot  be  reckoned  among  the 


198  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

ancient  cities,  as  it  was  unknown  to  the  Pharaohs)  are,  as 
it  were,  dweUings  among  the  tombs. 

Another  remarkable  prophecy  is  found  in  verse  12:  "And 
I  will  make  the  rivers  dry,  and  sell  the  land  into  the  hand 
of  the  wicked,  and  all  that  is  therein,  by  the  hand  of  strangers. 
I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it."  Isaiah  also  predicted,  "The 
waters  shall  fail  from  the  sea  and  the  river  shall  be  wasted 
and  become  dry"  (Isaiah  xix:5).  The  rivers  are  evi- 
dently the  many  arms  of  the  Nile  forming  the  Delta.  This 
is  the  case  today,  and  has  been  so  in  past  centuries,  and  the 
arms  of  the  Nile,  instead  of  flowing  in  their  original  courses 
have  become  ill-smelling  pools  and  marshes.  And  so  was 
the  land  sold  into  the  hand  of  the  wicked.  Untold  suflFerings, 
slavery,  outrages  of  many  kinds  has  been  the  record  of 
Egypt  in  its  past  history. 

II.  The  Destruction  of  the  Cities. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  I  will  also  destroy  the  idols,  and  I  will 
cause  their  images  to  cease  out  of  Noph;  and  there  shall  be  no  more  a 
prince  of  the  land  of  Egypt;  and  I  will  put  a  fear  in  the  land  of 
Egypt.  And  I  will  make  Pathros  desolate,  and  will  set  fire  in  Zoan, 
and  will  execute  judgments  in  No.  And  I  will  pour  my  fury  upon 
Sin,  the  strength  of  Egypt;  and  I  will  cut  off  the  multitude  of  No. 
And  I  will  set  fire  in  Egypt:  Sin  shall  have  great  pain,  and  No  shall 
be  rent  asunder,  and  Noph  shall  have  distresses  daily.  The  young 
men  of  Aven  and  of  Phi-beseth  shall  fall  by  the  sword;  and  these 
cities  shall  go  into  captivity.  At  Tehaphnehes  also  the  day  shall 
be  darkened,  when  I  shall  break  there  the  yokes  of  Egypt:  and  the 
pomp  of  her  strength  shall  cease  in  her:  as  for  her,  a  cloud  shall 
cover  her,  and  her  daughters  shall  go  into  captivity.  Thus  will 
I  execute  judgments  in  Egypt;  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord  (verses  13-19). 

Their  idols  and  images  were  to  be  destroyed  so  as  to  reveal 
their  nothingness.  So  it  was  many  centuries  before  when 
Israel  was  in  the  house  of  bondage  and  the  power  of  God 
in  judgment  exposed  the  things  which  the  Egyptians  wor- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  199 

shipped.  Noph,  which  is  mentioned  in  verse  13,  is  Memphis. 
Memphis  was  the  prominent  seat  of  the  worship  of  Ptah  and 
Apis.  It  was  the  great  temple  city,  founded  by  Menes. 
What  has  become  of  this  mai-vellous  city  with  its  magnificient 
temple  structures  and  carved,  colossal  images  and  idols  .^ 

Abd-ul-Latif,  an  Arab  traveller,  who  visited  it  in  the 
thirteenth  century,  says:  "Its  ruins  still  offer  to  the  eyes  of 
the  spectator  a  collection  of  wonderful  works  which  con- 
found the  intellect,  and  to  describe  which  the  most  eloquent 
man  would  labor  in  vain.  The  longer  we  look  upon  the 
scene,  the  higher  rises  the  admiration  it  inspires;  and 
every  new  glance  that  we  cast  upon  the  ruins  reveals  a 
new  charm.  Scarcely  have  they  awakened  a  distinct  idea 
in  the  soul  of  the  spectator,  than  a  still  more  admirable 
idea  suggests  itself;  and  just  as  you  believe  you  have 
gained  complete  knowledge  of  them,  at  that  very  moment 
the  conviction  forces  itself  on  the  mind,  that  what  you 
think  you  know  is  still  very  far  from  the  truth." 

But  even  the  magnificent  ruins,  the  mute  witnesses  of 
a  past  glory,  are  gone.  The  very  site  of  Noph  (Memphis) 
is  now  a  matter  of  dispute.  Only  a  few  immense  carved 
stones  remain  in  the  desert  sand.  Temples,  idols  and 
images  are  forever  gone.  The  prophet  Ezekiel  knew  un- 
doubtedly of  the  far-famed  city,  its  influence  and  power 
in  the  religious  life  of  Egypt.  How  could  he  announce 
such  utter  ruin  for  that  city  unless  the  Lord  had  revealed  it 
to  him  and  put  His  own  words  into  his  mouth.''  What  a 
great  evidence  prophecy  is  that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of 
God!  "No,"  mentioned  three  times  in  verses  14-16,  is 
Thebes,  the  ancient  capital  of  Egypt,  called  by  the  Greeks 
"Diospolis,"  the  City  of  Jupiter.  "No"  is  also  mentioned 
by  Nahum  (iii:8).  Her  ruins  bear  witness  of  a  past,  inde- 
scribable splendor.  The  great  Temple  of  Carnac  was 
there.     An   authority  saith:   "The  ruins   of  the  temple  of 


200  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Carnac  is  the  largest  and  most  splendid  ruin  of  which, 
perhaps,  either  ancient  or  modern  times  can  boast.  All 
here  is  sublime,  all  majestic.  With  pain  one  tears  oneself 
from  Thebes.  Her  monuments  fix  the  traveller's  eyes  and 
fill  his  mind  with  vast  ideas.  Beholding  colossal  figures  and 
stately  obelisks  which  seem  to  surpass  human  powers." 
What  a  city  No,  Thebes  the  capital,  must  have  been!  The 
Lord  alone  could  foretell  that  it  should  be  rent  asunder 
The  ruins  bear  witness  that  God's  message  was  faithfully 
delivered  by  Ezekiel.  And  so  was  fulfilled,  "There  shall  be  no 
more  a  prince  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt."  No  native  prince 
has  had  complete  rule  over  the  land.  The  other  places 
mentioned  are  Sin,  which  is  Pelusium,  now  completely 
buried  in  the  sand.  Aven  is  Heliopolis,  the  center  of  the 
worship  of  Ba,  the  god  of  the  sun.  Pi-beseth  is  Bubastis, 
where  the  sacred  cats  were  mummied,  likewise  a  desolation 
now.  Tehaphnehes  or  Daphnis  also  passed  through  the 
judgment.  What  a  remarkable  fulfillment  of  what  the  Lord 
announced  through  His  servant  Ezekiel!  May  we  here  be 
reminded  in  our  solemn  times  that  the  same  omniscient 
Lord,  who  knows  the  end  from  the  beginning,  has  spoken 
concerning  this  age,  now  closing  in  its  predicted  apostasy. 
Nations  today  steeped  in  bloodshed;  nations  filled  with 
covetousness  and  hatred;  an  apostate  professing  Christen- 
dom and  the  indiff'erent  masses  have  written  over  against 
them  the  judgment-wrath  of  the  coming  King.  And  He 
who  fulfilled  the  words  spoken  through  Ezekiel  will  also 
fulfill  every  other  prediction  uttered  by  His  Holy  prophets 
and  apostles. 

III.    The  Work  of  Nebuchadnezzar. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  eleventh  year,  in  the  first  month,  in  the 
seventh  day  of  the  month,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me, 
saying,  Son  of  man,  I  have  broken  the  arm  of  Pharaoh  king  of 
Egypt;  and,  lo,  it  shall  not  be  bound  up  to  be  healed,  to  put  a  roller 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  201 

to  bind  it,  to  make  it  strong  to  hold  the  sword.  Therefore  thus 
salth  the  Lord  God:  Behold,  I  am  against  Pharaoh  king  of  Eg)^pt, 
and  will,  break  his  arms,  the  strong,  and  that  which  was  broken; 
and  I  will  cause  the  sword  to  fall  out  of  his  hand.  And  I  will 
scatter  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations,  and  will  disperse  them 
through  the  countries.  And  I  will  strengthen  the  arms  of  the  king 
of  Babylon,  and  put  my  sword  in  his  hand;  but  I  will  break  Phar- 
aoh's arms,  and  he  shall  groan  before  him  with  the  groanings  of  a 
deadly-wounded  man.  But  I  will  strengthen  the  arms  of  the  king 
of  Babylon,  and  the  arms  of  Pharaoh  shall  fall  down;  and  they  shall 
know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  shall  put  my  sword  into  the  hand 
of  the  king  of  Babylon,  and  he  shall  stretch  it  out  upon  the  land  of 
Egypt.  And  I  will  scatter  the  Egyptians  among  the  nations,  and 
disperse  them  among  the  countries;  and  they  shall  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord  (verses  20-26). 

The  arm  of  Pharoah,  King  of  Egypt  was  to  be  broken 
completely.  No  bandage  whould  suffice  to  make  it  strong 
again  to  hold  the  sword.  It  was  a  break  beyond  remedy. 
Jeremiah  had  received  a  similar  message.  "Go  up  into 
Gilead,  and  take  balm,  O  virgin,  the  daughter  of  Egypt, 
in  vain  shalt  thou  use  many  medicines,  for  thou  shalt  not  be 
cured"  (Jere.  xlvi:ll).  And  Jeremiah  also  announced 
that  Nebuchadnezzar  should  be  used  in  carrying  out  the 
overthrow  of  Egypt.  "The  word  that  the  Lord  spake  to 
Jeremiah  the  prophet,  how  Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of  Baby- 
lon, should  come  and  smite  the  land  of  Egypt.  Declare 
ye  in  Egypt,  and  publish  in  Migdol,  and  publish  in  Noph 
and  in  Tehaphnehes,  say  ye.  Stand  fast  and  prepare  thee, 
for  the  sword  shall  devour  round  about  thee"  (Jere.  xlvi: 
13-17).  Nebuchadnezzar  wielded  the  sword  of  the  Lord. 
"And  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  shall  put 
my  sword  into  the  hand  of  the  King  of  Babylon,  and  he 
shall  stretch  it  out  upon  the  land  of  Egypt."  The  sovereign 
God  had  not  only  used  the  King  of  Babylon  to  execute  His 
judgments  upon  Jerusalem,  but  He  had  also  given  other 
lands  into  his  hands  and  made  him  the  head  of  the  tinies 


202  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

of  the  Gentiles,  typified  in  his  great  dream-image  by  the 
head  of  gold.  "And  now  have  I  given  all  these  lands  into 
the  hand  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  the  King  of  Babylon  my 
servant;  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  have  I  given  him  also 
to  serve  him.  And  all  nations  shall  serve  him  and  his 
son  and  his  son's  son,  until  the  very  time  of  his  land  come, 
and  then  many  nations  and  great  Kings  shall  serve  them- 
selves of  him"  (Jere.  xxvii:5-7).  The  times  of  the  Gentiles 
are  still  in  force,  and  when  they  end  Egypt  will  pass  through 
another  judgment  to  receive  afterward  the  blessings  promised 
through  the  prophet  Isaiah  (Is.  xix:18-25). 

PHARAOH'S    GREATNESS   AND    HIS    OVERTHROW. 
Chapter  xxxi. 

Two  more  chapters  speak  of  the  downfall  and  judgment 
of  Egypt.  First,  the  fall  of  Pharoah  is  described  in  a  para- 
ble and  then  follows  the  lamentations,  a  funeral  dirge  over 
Pharaoh.  The  message  of  the  thirty-first  chapter  has  three 
well  defined  parts.  The  King  of  Egypt,  like  the  Assyrian 
of  the  past,  is  pictured  as  a  great  cedar  in  Lebanon.  Then 
the  fall  of  the  tree  is  shown,  and  finally  the  shaking  of  the 
nations  on  account  of  his  fall. 

II.    The  Greatness  and  Glory  of  the  King  of  Egypt. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  eleventh  year,  in  the  third  montli, 
in  the  first  day  of  the  month,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto 
me,  saying.  Son  of  man,  speak  unto  Pharaoh  king  of  Egypt,  and  to 
his  multitude;  Whom  art  thou  like  in  thy  greatness?  Behold,  the 
Assyrian  was  a  cedar  in  Lebanon  with  fair  branches,  and  with  a 
shadowing  shroud,  and  of  an  high  stature;  and  his  top  was  among 
the  thick  boughs.  The  waters  made  him  great,  the  deep  set  him 
up  on  high  with  her  rivers  running  round  about  his  plants,  and  sent 
out  her  little  rivers  unto  all  the  trees  of  the  field.  Therefore  his 
height  was  exalted  above  all  the  trees  of  the  field,  and  his  boughs 
were  multiplied,  and  his  branches  became  long  because  of  the  mul- 
titude of  waters,  when  he  shot  forth.     All  the  fowls  of  heaven  mad^ 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  203 

their  nests  in  his  boughs,  and  under  his  branches  did  all  the  beasts 
of  the  field  bring  forth  their  young,  and  under  his  shadow  dwelt 
all  great  nations.  Thus  was  he  fair  in  his  greatness,  in  the  length 
of  his  branches:  for  his  root  was  by  great  waters.  The  cedars 
in  the  garden  of  God  could  not  hide  him:  the  fir  trees  were  not  like 
his  boughs,  and  the  chestnut  trees  were  not  like  his  branches; 
nor  any  tree  in  the  garden  of  God  was  like  unto  him  in  his  beauty. 
I  have  made  him  fair  by  the  multitude  of  his  branches:  so  that  all 
the  trees  of  Eden,  that  were  in  the  garden  of  God,  envied  him 
(verses  1-9). 

The  Lord  commands  the  prophet  to  ask  a  question  of 
Pharaoh  and  his  multitude:  "Whom  art  thou  like  in  thy 
greatness?"  Then  the  divine  questioner  answers  and  re- 
veals the  greatness  and  glory  of  Pharaoh.  He  uses  the 
Assyrian  in  his  past  greatness  to  describe  Pharaoh's  great- 
ness and  glory.  Some  have  applied  the  prophecy  entirely 
to  the  Assyrian,  as  if  Ezekiel  spoke  concerning  this  north- 
ern power  altogether.  But  this  is  incorrect,  for  the  Assyrian 
power  was  then  no  longer  in  existence,  and  the  last  verse 
of  this  chapter  shows  that  Pharaoh  is  meant.  "This  Phar- 
aoh and  his  multitude,  saith  the  Lord  God"  (verse  18). 
The  description  of  the  Assyrian  is  given  to  show  that  Phar- 
aoh, King  of  Egypt,  is  in  greatness  like  the  Assyrian  who 
had  been  dealt  with  in  judgment  by  Jehovah.  The  Assyr- 
ian, once  so  powerful  and  proud,  is  used  as  a  solemn  warn- 
ing, that  the  King  of  Egypt  would  not  be  spared,  but  suffer 
the  same  fate.  The  Cedar  in  Lebanon  is  a  picture  of 
the  greatness  of  the  Assyrian  and  Pharaoh;  its  height  and 
wide-spreading  branches;  its  superior  place  among  all  the 
trees  are  used  to  symbolize  both  of  them.  The  Cedar  is  a 
most  majestic  tree,  often  reaching  a  great  height;  the 
branches  are  thick  and  long,  spreading  out  horizontally 
from  the  enormous  trunk.  The  Cedar  is  also  employed  as  a 
type  of  the  righteous  and  of  Israel.  "The  righteous  shall 
flourish  like  the  palm  tree;    he  shall  grow  like  a  cedar  in 


204  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

Lebanon"  (Psalm  xcii:12).  "His  branches  shall  spread 
and  his  smell  like  Lebanon"  (Hos.  xiv:6).  But  here 
the  cedar  means  human  grandeur  and  national  greatness, 
full  of  arrogant  pride  and  therefore  doomed  to  be  abased. 
Isaiah  in  his  sublime  prophecy  on  the  coming  day  of  the 
Lord  uses  thus  the  cedars  of  Lebanon:  "For  the  day  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts  shall  be  upon  every  one  that  is  proud 
and  lofty,  and  upon  every  one  that  is  lifted  up;  and  he 
shall  be  brought  low.  And  upon  all  the  cedars  of  Lebanon 
that  are  high  and  lifted  up,  and  upon  all  the  oaks  of  Bashan" 
(Isa.  ii:12-13). 

Of  interest  are  the  words  in  the  sixth  verse:  "All  the 
fowls  of  heaven  made  their  nests  in  his  boughs."  The 
same  statement  is  made  in  the  dream  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
in  which  the  King  of  Babylon  had  seen  a  great  tree,  "and 
the  fowls  of  heaven  dwelt  in  the  boughs  thereof"  (Dan. 
iv:12).  And  our  Lord  spoke  a  parable  of  the  mustard  seed 
which  became  a  tree  "so  that  the  birds  of  the  air  come  and 
lodged  in  the  branches  thereof"  (Matt.  xiii:32).  The  fowls 
mean  peoples  who  associated  with  Assyria,  Egypt  and  the 
King  of  Babylon,  while  these  powers  became  proud  and 
lifted  up.  The  mustard  tree  in  the  parable  of  our  Lord  rep- 
resents the  development  of  Gentile-Christendom  as  an 
earthly  institution  and  organization,  lifted  up  like  a  big 
tree,  and  the  birds  which  find  shelter  there  are  the  symbols 
of  the  unclean,  the  unsaved  masses,  nominally  professing 
Christians.  And  God  who  dealt  with  the  Assyrians,  with 
the  King  of  Egypt,  God,  who  humbled  Nebuchadnezzar, 
will  yet  deal  in  His  coming  great  judgments  with  the  Gen- 
tile nations  of  today  for  their  pride  and  wickedness,  as  well 
as  with  Christendom. 

II.    The  Fall  and  Desolation  of  the  Tree. 

Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;    Because  thou  hast  lifted  up 
thyself  in  height,  and  he  hath  shot  up  his  top  among  the  thick 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  205 

boughs,  and  his  heart  is  lifted  up  in  his  height;  I  have  therefore  de- 
livered him  into  the  hand  of  the  mighty  one  of  the  heathen;  he  shall 
surely  deal  with  him:  I  have  driven  him  out  for  his  wickedness. 
And  strangers,  the  terrible  of  the  nations,  have  cut  him  off,  and  have 
left  him:  upon  the  mountains  and  in  all  the  valleys  his  branches 
are  fallen,  and  his  boughs  are  broken  by  all  the  rivers  of  the  land; 
and  all  the  people  of  the  earth  are  gone  down  from  his  shadow, 
and  have  left  him.  Upon  his  ruin  shall  all  the  fowls  of  the  heaven 
remain,  and  all  the  beasts  of  the  filed  shall  be  upon  his  branches: 
To  the  end  that  none  of  all  the  trees  by  the  waters  exalt  themselves 
for  their  height,  neither  shoot  up  their  top  among  the  thick  boughs, 
neither  their  trees  stand  up  in  their  height,  all  that  drink  water: 
for  they  are  all  delivered  unto  death,  to  the  nether  parts  of  the  earth, 
in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  men,  with  them  that  go  down  to  the 
pit    (verses  10-14). 

Judgment  came  up  Assyria  and  was  also  soon  to  fall 
upon  Egypt  because  they  were  lifted  up  and  defied  God. 
"Because  thou  hast  lifted  up  thyself  in  height,  and  he  hath 
shot  up  his  top  among  the  thick  boughs,  and  his  heart  is 
lifted  up  in  his  height,  I  have  therefore  delivered  him  into 
the  hand  of  the  mighty  one  of  the  nations;  he  shall  surely 
deal  with  him;  I  have  driven  him  out  for  his  wickedness." 
Behind  these  nations  of  the  past  stood,  as  we  saw  in  con- 
nection with  the  King  of  Tyrus  (chap,  xxviii),  the  dark 
shadow  of  the  enemy  of  God.  He  is  still  the  master  over 
the  nations  which  act  at  the  close  of  the  times  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. Satan's  crime  is  that  he  was  and  is  lifted  up  with 
pride.  He  fell  because  he  said,  "I  will  ascend  into  heaven, 
I  will  exalt  my  throne  above  the  stars  of  God  ...  I 
will  ascend  above  the  heights  of  the  clouds;  I  will  be  like 
the  most  High"  (Isa.  xiv:13-14).  And  this  awful  being, 
the  prince  of  this  world,  the  god  of  this  age,  who  domineers 
still  over  the  kingdoms  of  this  world,  till  he  is  dethroned 
by  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  has  led  in  the  past  and  still 
leads  nations  into  ruin  and  ripens  them  for  divine  judgment 
through  pride  and  what  goes  with  it,  defiance  of  God.     To- 


206  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

day  our  boasting,  proud,  lifted  up  and  God-defiant  age, 
an  age  which  rejects  God's  best,  the  Gospel  of  His 
Son,  is  rapidly  approaching  the  threatened  judgment, 
a  judgment  far  more  severe  than  those  which  overtook 
Assyria  and  Egypt. 

The  one  mentioned  as  "the  mighty  one  of  the  nations" 
is  Nebuchadnezzar,  whom  God  used  to  bring  judgment 
upon  Egypt,  as  we  learned  from  the  previous  chapters. 
He  was  the  golden  head  of  the  image  which  represents  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles,  which  may  soon  take  on  their  final 
form,  the  ten  kingdoms  in  the  revived  Roman  Empire 
(Dan.  ii).  Nebuchadnezzar  also  became  lifted  up  and  God 
humbled  him  for  seven  years,  as  God  will  yet  humble  the 
nations  of  Christendom.*  And  the  judgments  of  the 
past,  upon  Assyria  and  others  is  to  be  a  warning  to 
others  "to  the  end  that  none  of  all  the  trees  by  the  waters 
exalt  themselves  for  their  height"  (verse  13).  But  who 
among  the  nations  is  wise  and  heeds  the  warnings  of  God's 
holy  Word.''  See  also  Rom.  xi:16-24,  where  Christendom 
is  warned  not  to  boast  and  not  to  be  high  minded. 

III.  The  Overthrow  and  the  Consternation  among  the 
Nations  as  the  result  of  Egypt's  fall. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  In  the  day  when  he  went  down  to  tlie 
grave  I  caused  a  mourning:  I  covered  the  deep  for  him,  and  I  re- 
strained the  floods  thereof,  and  the  great  waters  were  stayed: 
and  I  caused  Lebanon  to  mourn  for  him,  and  all  the  trees  of  the  field 
fainted  for  him.  I  made  the  nations  to  shake  at  the  sound  of  his 
fall,  when  I  cast  him  down  to  hell  with  them  that  descend  into  the 
pit:  and  all  the  trees  of  Eden,  the  choice  and  best  of  Lebanon,  all 
that  drink  water,  shall  be  comforted  in  the  nether  parts  of  the  earth. 
They  also  went  down  into  hell  with  him  unto  them  that  be  slain 
with  the  sword;  and  they  that  were  his  arm,  that  dwelt  under  his 
shadow  in  the  midst  of  the  heathen.     To  whom  art  thou  thus  like 

*See  Exposition  of  Daniel,  by  A.  C.  G.,  on  Dan.  iii-vi. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  207 

in  glory  and  in  greatness  among  the  trees  of  Edenf  yet  shalt  thou 
be  brought  down  with  the  trees  of  Eden  unto  the  nether  parts  of 
the  earth:  "thou  shalt  lie  in  the  midst  ot  the  uncircumcised  v>ith 
them  that  be  slain  by  the  sword.  This  is  Pharaoh  and  all  his  mul- 
titude, saith  the  Lord  God"  (verses  15-18). 

The  word  "hell,"  mentioned  several  times  in  this  para- 
graph does  not  mean  the  lake  of  fire,  the  final  and  eternal 
abode  of  the  wicked,  but  the  word  is  "sheol,"  the  abode 
of  the  dead,  the  unknown  regions.  It  does  not  mean  the 
grave,  for  which  there  is  another  word  used  in  the  Hebrew. 
The  grave  receives  the  bodies;  but  the  immaterial  part  of 
man,  that  which  has  endless  being,  goes  to  Sheol,  a  word 
which  expresses  the  unseen  and  unknown.  To  sheol  the 
wicked  and  the  nations  who  forget  God  have  been  turned 
(Psalm  ix:17)  to  await  their  final  doom  as  revealed  in  Rev. 
xx:ll-15.  The  fate  of  Assyria  as  well  as  of  Egypt  inspired 
the  surrouding  nations  with  fear;  these  nations  are  men- 
tioned under  the  figure  of  trees,  "and  all  the  trees  of  the  field 
mourned  for  him."  The  nations  shook  with  terror  when  the 
powerful  world-power  was  stripped  of  all  its  greatness  and 
passed  away.  And  when  Assyria  came  into  sheol  and 
also  Egypt,  they  found  other  nations  there.  These  are 
mentioned  by  the  term  "all  the  trees  of  Eden,  the  choice 
and  best  of  Lebanon,  all  that  drink  water."  These  terms 
are  symbolical  of  human  greatness,  glory  and  prosperity. 
And  these  once  powerful  and  prosperous  nations  were  "com- 
forted" to  find  that  even  Pharaoh  would  share  their  fate 
and  the  fate  of  Assyria.  It  shows  that  the  desembodied 
state  in  sheol  is  not  an  unconscious  state,  but  one  of  con- 
sciousness. The  next  chapter,  the  final  one  on  Egypt's 
judgment  and  fate  will  show  us  more  of  this. 


208  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

LAMENTATION  OVER  PHARAOH  AND  THE  FUNERAL 

DIRGE. 

Chapter  xxxii. 

The  final  prophecy  of  this  section  was  given  almost  two 
years  after  the  message  of  the  previous  chapter  and  about 
eighteen  months  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem.  First  Ezekiel 
is  told  to  take  up  a  lamentation  for  Pharaoh  and  announce 
for  the  last  time  the  work  of  judgment  by  the  sword  of  the 
King  of  Babylon.  After  that  follows  another  wail,  a  solemn 
dirge,  over  the  Egyptian  multitudes  which  have  passed 
into  sheol.  It  is  a  vivid  description  of  sheol  and  those  who 
have  descended  there.  This  conclusive  prophecy  was 
uttered  by  the  prophet  a  few  days  after  the  lamentation 
over  Pharaoh. 

I.    The  Lamentation  Over  Pharaoh. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  twelfth  year,  in  the  twelfth  month,  in 
the  first  day  of  the  month,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me, 
saying,  Son  of  man,  take  up  a  lamentation  for  Pharaoh  king  of 
Egypt,  and  say  unto  him,  Thou  art  like  a  young  lion  of  the  nations, 
and  thou  art  as  a  whale  in  the  seas:  and  thou  cam.est  forth  with  thy 
rivers,  and  troubledst  the  waters  with  thy  feet,  and  fouldest  their 
rivers.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will  therefore  spread  out  my 
net  over  thee  with  a  company  of  many  people;  and  they  shall  bring 
thee  up  in  my  net.  Then  will  I  leave  thee  upon  the  land,  I  will 
cast  thee  forth  upon  the  open  field,  and  will  cause  all  the  fowls  of 
the  heaven  to  remain  upon  thee,  and  I  will  fill  the  beasts  of  the  whole 
earth  with  thee.  And  I  will  lay  thy  flesh  upon  the  mountains, 
and  fill  the  valleys  with  thy  height.  I  will  also  water  with  thy 
blood  the  land  wherein  thou  swimmest,  even  to  the  mountains; 
and  the  rivers  shall  be  full  of  thee.  And  when  I  shall  put  thee  out, 
I  will  cover  the  heaven,  and  make  the  stars  thereof  dark;  I  will 
cover  the  sun  with  a  cloud,  and  the  moon  shall  not  give  her  light. 
All  the  bright  lights  of  heaven  will  I  make  dark  over  thee,  and  set 
darkness  upon  thy  land,  saith  the  Lord  God.  I  will  also  vex  the 
hearts  of  many  people,  when  I  shall  bring  thy  destruction  among  the 
nations,  into  the  countries  which  thou  hast  not  known.     Yea,  I 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  209 

will  make  many  people  amazed  at  thee,  and  their  kings  shall  be 
horribly  afraid  for  thee,  wlicn  I  shall  brandish  my  sword  before 
them;  and  they  shall  tremble  at  every  moment,  every  man  for  his 
own  life,  in  the  day  of  thy  fall  (verses  1-10). 

Pharaoh  is  addressed  as  a  young  Hon  among  the  nations. 
Some  have  rendered  it  "a  lion  of  the  nations  is  upon  thee," 
applying  it  to  Nebuchadnezzar;  but  this  is  only  a  para- 
phrase and  not  warranted  by  the  Hebrew  text.  He  is  also 
compared  again  to  the  dragon  or  crocodile.*  (See  xxix:3). 
What  the  crocodile  does  in  the  rivers  and  waters,  troubling 
them  and  stirring  up  the  dirt,  fouling  the  rivers,  Pharoah 
had  done  among  the  nations.  And  now  his  wicked  doings 
would  be  arrested;  a  net  would  be  spread  over  him  with  a 
company  of  many  peoples,  who  would  bring  him  out  of  his 
dominion  like  a  crocodile  taken  out  of  the  water.  He 
would  be  cast  upon  the  open  field,  "and  I  will  cause  all  the 
fowls  of  the  heavens  to  settle  upon  thee  and  I  will  fill  the 
beasts  of  the  whole  earth  with  thee."  Then  the  political 
destruction  of  the  great  land  of  Egypt  is  to  be  fully  accom- 
plished, here  mentioned  in  symbolical  terms,  such  as  the 
darkening  of  the  stars,  the  covering  of  the  sun  with  a  cloud 
and  the  withholding  of  the  light  from  the  moon.  But 
while  all  this  has  a  primary  meaning  as  to  Pharaoh  and 
Egypt,  these  words  of  judgment  also  related  to  that  which 
is  yet,  and  soon  to  come  upon  this  earth.  Egypt  is  the 
type  of  the  world  as  it  lieth  in  the  wicked  one. 

Nations  to-day  are  doing  what  Egypt  did.  These  nations, 
the  final  actors  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles,  in  their  inhuman, 
God  and  man  defying  actions,  will  not  be  permitted  to  go 
on  forever.  A  day  comes  in  which  God  will  deal  with  them 
as  He  dealt  with  Egypt  of  old.  When  that  day  comes,  the 
day  of  Jehovah,  their  complete  overthrow  will  take  place 


*"A  whale  in  the  seas"  is  an  incorrect  translation. 


210  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

as  described  so  frequently  in  the  prophetic  Word.  Then 
the  great  judgment  supper  of  God  will  take  place,  when  the 
fowls  under  heaven  are  called  upon  to  gather  together  and 
feed  upon  the  slain.  There  is  an  interesting  suggestion 
between  verse  4  of  this  chapter  and  Revelation  xix:17-18. 
The  same  is  true  when  we  compare  verses  7-8  with  Revela- 
tion viii:12.  Then  read  Isaiah  xiii:10  and  Amos  viii:9; 
Joel  iii:15  and  Matthew  xxiv:29.  That  day  announced  in 
these  Scriptures  and  others  is  rapidly  approaching  and  will 
bring  the  complete  overthrow  of  the  dominering,  auto- 
cratic world-powers  and  the  god  of  this  age,  who  controls 
them. 

II.    The  Final  Announcement  of  the  Sword  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. 

For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  The  sword  of  the  king  of  Babylon 
shall  come  upon  thee.  By  the  swords  of  the  mighty  will  I  cause 
thy  multitude  to  fall,  the  terrible  of  the  nations,  all  of  them:  and 
they  shall  spoil  the  pomp  of  Egypt,  and  all  the  multitude  thereof 
shall  be  destroyed.  I  will  destroy  also  all  the  beasts  thereof  from 
beside  the  great  waters,  neither  shall  the  foot  of  man  trouble  them 
any  more  nor  the  hoofs  of  beasts  trouble  them.  Then  will  I  make 
their  waters  deep,  and  cause  their  rivers  to  run  like  oil,  saith  the 
Lord  God.  When  I  shall  make  the  land  of  Egypt  desolate,  and  the 
country  shall  be  destitute  of  that  whereof  it  was  full,  when  I  shall 
smite  all  them  that  dwell  therein,  then  shall  they  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord.  This  Is  the  lamentation  wherewith  they  shall  lament  her: 
the  daughters  of  the  nations  shall  lament  her:  they  shall  lament  for 
her,  even  for  Egypt,  and  for  all  her  multitude,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  11-16). 

The  sword  of  the  Lord  to  fall  upon  Egypt  was  the  King  of 
Babylon,  previously  announced  in  chapters  xxix  and  xxx. 
At  the  close  of  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  the  predicted  judg- 
ment will  not  come  upon  nations  through  some  other  nation, 
but  the  Lord  Himself  will  appear  and  fight  against  the 
nations  who  are  rebellious  against  God  and  against  His 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  211 

anointed  (Ps.  ii).  The  stone,  which  Nebuchadnezzar  saw 
in  his  dream,  will  fall  and  deal  its  destructive  blow;  and  that 
stone  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  His  personal  Coming. 
Then  the  pomp  of  Egypt,  this  present  age  with  all  its  boasted 
progress  and  glory,  will  pass  away  and  the  kingdom  from 
above  will  be  set  up.  "Then  shall  they  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord."  It  is  not  a  spiritual  knowledge,  or  a  knowledge 
unto  salvation,  but  a  knowledge  in  the  judgments  which 
take  place. 

"It  is  important  to  remark  one  point  in  this  series  of  pro- 
phecies, which  commences  with  the  judgment  of  Jerusalem, 
the  centre  of  the  former  system  of  nations.  They  are 
executed  with  the  object  of  making  them  all  know  Jehovah: 
only  in  Israel's  case  there  is  besides  this,  the  understanding 
and  the  special  verification  of  prophecy.  See  chapter 
xxiv:24-27,  Israel;  chapter  xxv:5,  7,  11,  Ammon  and  Moab; 
verses  15-17,  especial  vengeance  on  the  Philistines;  chapter 
xxvi.  Tyre;  chapter  xxviii:22,  Zidon;  chapter  xxix:19, 
Egypt;  as  also  chapters  xxx:26,  xxxii:15.  With  respect  to 
Edom  (chap.  xxv:14),  it  is  only  said  that  Edom  shall  know 
the  vengeance  of  Jehovah  by  means  of  Israel — a  further  proof 
that  in  certain  respects  this  prophecy  extends  to  the  last 
days.  These  prophecies,  then,  furnish  us  in  general  with  the 
manifestation  of  Jehovah's  power,  so  as  to  make  Him  known 
to  all  by  the  judgments  which  He  executed;  already  partially 
realized  in  the  conquests  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  but  to  be 
fully  accomplished  by-and-by  in  favor  of  Israel."* 

III.    The  Dirge  and  Unveiling  of  the  Unseen  World. 

It  came  to  pass  also  in  the  twelfth  year,  in  the  fifteenth  day  of  the 
month,  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
wail  for  the  multitude  of  Egypt,  and  cast  them  down,  even  her,  and 


*Even  so  the  Lord  will  yet  be  known  to  the  nations  of  the  earth  by 
His  judgments. 


212  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

the  daughters  of  the  famous  nations,  unto  the  nether  parts  of  the 
earth,  with  them  that  go  down  into  the  pit.  Whom  dost  thou 
pass  in  beauty?  go  down,  and  be  thou  laid  with  the  uncircumcised. 
They  shall  fall  in  the  midst  of  them  that  are  slain  by  the  sword: 
she  is  delivered  to  the  sword:  draw  her  and  all  her  multitudes. 
The  strong  among  the  mighty  shall  speak  to  him  out  of  the  midst 
of  hell  (sheol)  with  them  that  help  him:  they  are  gone  down,  they 
lie  uncircumcised,  slain  by  the  sword.  Asshur  is  there  and  all  her 
company:  his  graves  are  about  him:  all  of  them  slain,  fallen  by  the 
sword:  Whose  graves  are  set  in  the  sides  of  the  pit,  and  her  com- 
pany is  round  about  her  grave :  all  of  them  slain,  fallen  by  the  sword, 
which  caused  terror  in  the  land  of  the  living.  There  is  Elam  and  all 
her  multitudes  round  about  her  grave,  all  of  them  slain,  fallen 
by  the  sword,  which  are  gone  down  uncircumcised  into  the  nether 
parts  of  the  earth,  which  caused  their  terror  in  the  land  of  the  living; 
yet  have  they  borne  their  shame  with  them  that  go  down  to  the 
pit.  They  have  set  her  a  bed  in  the  midst  of  the  slain  with  all  her 
multitude:  her  graves  are  round  about  him:  all  of  them  uncircum- 
cised, slain  by  the  sword:  though  their  terror  was  caused  in  the  land 
land  of  the  living,  yet  have  they  borne  their  shame  with  them  that 
go  down  to  the  pit:  he  is  put  in  the  midst  of  them  that  be  slain. 
There  is  Meshech,  Tubal,  and  all  her  multitude:  her  graves  are 
round  about  him:  all  of  them  uncircumcised,  slain  by  the  sword, 
though  they  caused  their  terror  in  the  land  of  the  living.  And  they 
shall  not  lie  with  the  mighty  that  are  fallen  of  the  uncircumcised, 
which  are  gone  down  to  hell  with  their  weapons  of  war:  and  they 
have  laid  their  swords  under  their  heads,  but  their  iniquities  shall 
be  upon  their  bones,  though  they  were  the  terror  of  the  mighty 
in  the  land  of  the  living.  Yea,  thou  shalt  be  broken  in  the  midst 
of  the  uncircumcised,  and  shalt  lie  with  them  that  are  slain  with  the 
sword.  There  is  Edom,  her  kings,  and  all  her  princes,  which  v/ith 
their  might  are  laid  by  them  that  were  slain  by  the  sword:  they 
shall  lie  with  the  uncircumcised,  and  with  them  that  go  down  to 
the  pit.  There  be  the  princes  of  the  north,  all  of  them,  and  all  the 
Zidonians,  which  are  gone  down  with  the  slain;  with  their  terror 
they  are  ashamed  of  their  might:  and  they  lie  uncircumcised  with 
them  that  be  slain  by  her  sword,  and  bear  their  shame  with  them  that 
go  down  to  the  pit.  Pharaoh  shall  see  them,  and  shall  be  com- 
forted over  all  his  multitude,  even  Pharaoh  and  all  his  army  slain 
by  the  sword,  saith  the  Lord  God.  For  I  have  caused  my  terror 
in  the  land  of  the  living:   and  he  shall  be  laid  in  the  midst  of  the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  213 

uncircumcised   with   them   that   are   slain   with   the   sword,   even 
Pharaoh  and  all  his  multitude,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  17-32), 

Two  weeks  after  the  lamentation  over  Pharaoh,  the  prophet 
uttered  this  solemn  and  most  impressive  elegy  over  the 
multitude  of  Egypt  and  the  heathen  nations  who  have 
gone  into  sheol.  It  has  been  called  a  weird  Dantesque 
funeral-march  over  the  whole  heathen  world;  but  it  is  more 
than  that.  We  look  here  into  sheol  and  see  the  nations 
gathered  there,  stripped  of  their  glory,  in  deepest  abasement 
and  shame.  Their  bodies  are  in  the  pit,  the  grave,  and  their 
souls  in  sheol,  the  unseen  regions.  God's  patience  was 
exhausted  with  them,  the  measure  of  their  wickedness 
became  full,  then  judgments  swept  them  off  the  earth  and 
they  passed  away  and  descended  into  sheol.  And  what 
irony  there  is  connected  with  it!  "Whom  dost  thou  surpass 
in  beauty?  Go  down  and  be  thou  laid  with  the  uncir- 
cumcised." And  as  the  King  came  there  with  his  multitudes, 
whom  did  they  find  there.''  Asshur,  that  is  Assyria,  is 
mentioned  first:  "Asshur  is  there  and  all  her  company." 
She  was  a  cruel,  pitiless,  destructive  power,  and  now  she, 
who  once  caused  "terror  in  the  land  of  the  living,"  is  help- 
less, with  all  her  power  gone  in  the  unseen  world.  Elam, 
Meshech,  Tubal,  Edom,  the  princes  of  the  North  and  the 
Zidonians  are  named  as  being  in  existence  there,  Once 
great  powers  but  now  cut  off;  they  lie  with  the  uncircum- 
cised in  weakness  and  disgrace.  While  in  chapter  xxxi:16 
the  dead  and  gone  nations  were  comforted  over  Pharaoh 
who  descended  into  sheol;  in  this  passage  Pharaoh,  who 
sees  these  nations,  now  is  himself  comforted  as  he  dis- 
covers his  former  enemies  there. 

A  similar  statement  about  sheol  as  a  place  of  departed 
nations,  who  are  nevertheless  conscious,  is  found  in  the 
book  of  Isaiah.  There  the  King  of  Babylon  is  seen  in  his 
descent   into   sheol.       "Sheol   from   beneath   is   moved  for 


214  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

thee  to  meet  thee  at  thy  coming;  it  stirreth  up  the  dead 
for.  thee,  all  the  chieftains  of  the  earth;  it  hath  raised  up 
from  their  thrones  all  the  Kings  of  the  nations.  All  they 
shall  speak  and  say  unto  thee,  Art  thou  also  become  weak 
as  we?2  Are  thou  become  like  unto  us?  Thy  pomps  are 
brought  down  to  the  grave,  and  the  noise  of  thy  viols, 
the  worm  is  spread  under  thee,  and  the  worms  over  thee?" 
(Is.  xiv:9-ll).  Solemn  words  these  are  behind  which 
stands  the  undeniable  truth  of  a  conscious  and  eternal  exis- 
tence of  the  human  race.  But  only  the  New  Testament 
Scriptures  give  the  full  light  upon  the  future  state. 


n.  PREDICTIONS  AFTER  THE  DESTRUCTION 
OF  JERUSALEM. 

Chapter  xxxiii — ^xlviii. 

COMMISSIONS.     JERUSALEM'S  FALL  ANNOUNCED. 
Chapter  xxxiii. 

The  previous  chapter  closed  the  predictions  which  were 
uttered  by  the  Prophet  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusa- 
lem, and  now  we  come  to  the  second  part  of  this  prophetic 
book,  containing  the  predictions  of  Ezekiel  after  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem.  And  these  predictions  unfold  the  great  future 
of  Israel,  their  restoration  and  national  revival,  the  spiritual 
blessings  in  store  for  them,  the  invasion  of  their  land  by  the 
last  enemy,  Gog  and  Magog,  their  complete  overthrow, 
and  the  deliverance  of  His  people.  After  that,  in  the  final 
nine  chapters  of  this  book,  the  Prophet  records  the  vision 
of  the  coming  and  crowning  glory  of  Israel,  as  they  shall 
possess  it  when  restored  to  their  land.  Here  we  learn  how 
the  departed  glory  will  return  and  the  Prophet  describes  a 
great  temple  and  its  worship.  It  is  the  millennial  temple, 
that  coming,  earthly  house  to  which  the  nations  shall  turn 
to  worship  the  King.  Then  the  name  of  Jerusalem  will  be 
"Jehovah-shammah" — the  Lord  is  there  (xlviii:35).  While 
the  predictions  uttered  by  Ezekiel  before  the  fall  of  Jerusa- 
lem have  mostly  been  fulfilled,  as  we  learned  in  our  ex- 
positions, the  great  prophecies  which  we  follow  now,  given 
after  the  fall  of  the  city  are  still  unfulfilled.  These  predic- 
tions are  of  great  importance  and  of  deep  interest,  for  they 
give  God's  program  for  His  chosen  people,  how  He  will  deal 
with  them  in  His  infinite  grace  and  receive  them  nationally 


216  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

when  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  are  over  and  He  comes  again. 
Because  these  things  are  now  so  very  near,  and  we  stand 
on  the  threshold  of  their  fulfilment,  they  are  for  us  of  double 
interest.  We  shall  therefore  examine  them  more  closely 
and  also  learn  from  present  day  events  how  all  is  now  get- 
ting ready  for  the  accomplishment  of  God's  revealed  pur- 
poses. 

In  the  introductory  chapter  of  this  section,  Ezekiel  as 
the  watchman  is  commissioned  to  warn  the  house  of  Israel; 
then  the  messenger  came  announcing  the  fall  of  Jerusalem; 
the  prophet's  lips  were  unsealed  and  he  was  no  more  dumb, 
but  uttered  again  the  Word  of  the  Lord. 

I.  The  Commission  to  the  Watchman. 

Again  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
speak  to  the  children  of  thy  people,  and  say  unto  them,  when  I  bring 
the  sword  upon  a  land,  if  the  people  of  the  land  take  a  man  of  their 
coasts,  and  set  him  for  their  watchman;  If  when  he  seeth  the  sword 
come  upon  the  land,  he  blow  the  trumpet,  and  warn  the  people; 
then  whosoever  hearest  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and  taketh  not 
warning;  if  the  sword  come,  and  take  him  away,  his  blood  shall 
be  upon  his  own  head.  He  heard  the  sound  of  the  trumpet,  and 
took  not  warning;  his  blood  shall  be  upon  him.  But  he  that  taketh 
warning  shall  deliver  his  soul.  But  if  the  watchman  see  the  sword 
come,  and  blow  not  the  trumpet,  and  the  people  be  not  warned; 
if  the  sword  come,  and  take  any  person  from  among  them,  he  is 
taken  away  in  his  iniquity;  but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  the  watch- 
man's hand.  So  thou,  O  son  of  man,  I  have  set  thee  a  watchman 
unto  the  house  of  Israel;  therefore  thou  shalt  hear  the  word  at  my 
mouth,  and  warn  them  from  me.  When  I  say  unto  the  wicked, 
O  wicked  man,  thou  shalt  surely  die;  if  thou  dost  not  speak  to  warn 
the  wicked  from  his  way,  that  wicked  man  shall  die  in  his  iniquity; 
but  his  blood  will  I  require  at  thine  hand.  Nevertheless,  if  thou 
warn  the  wicked  of  his  way  to  turn  from  it;  if  he  do  not  turn  from 
his  way,  he  shall  die  in  his  iniquity;  but  thou  hast  delivered  thy 
soul  (verses  1-9). 

The  commission  to  Ezekiel  as  watchman  corresponds   to 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  217 

the  same  commission  as  found  in  the  first  section  of  this 
book.  (See  chapters  iii:16-21.)  The  watchman  is  to  warn 
of  impending  danger  by  the  blowing  of  the  trumpet.  If 
the  warning  is  unheeded,  the  consequences  rest  upon  the 
person  who  rejected  the  warning.  But  he  that  taketh 
warning  shall  deliver  his  soul.  And  if  the  watchman  is  not 
faithful  in  sounding  the  alarm  and  disaster  overtakes  some 
on  account  of  it,  their  blood  will  be  required  at  the  watch- 
man's hand.  Ezekiel  was  set  as  a  watchman  unto  the 
house  of  Israel.  He  received  the  message  from  the  Lord 
and  was  to  warn  them.  The  divine  message  was  that  the 
wicked  should  surely  die,  and  if  the  watchman  neglected 
to  deliver  that  message  and  warn  the  wicked  he  would  die, 
while  his  blood  would  be  required  from  the  hands  of  the 
watchman.  But  if  the  wicked  was  warned  and  did  not 
act  upon  the  warning,  he  would  die;  the  faithful  watchman 
had  delivered  his  own  soul.  Ezekiel  was  the  faithful  watch- 
man while  the  false  prophets  did  not  deliver  the  message 
and  perished  with  the  ungodly.  How  great  then  the  re- 
sponsibility of  those  who  are  called  as  watchmen!  And 
how  few  the  faithful  ones  who  deliver  the  divine  warning 
to  the  unsaved! 

II.  Principles   of  Divine   Justice  Announced. 

Therefore,  O  thou  son  of  man,  speak  unto  the  house  of  Israel; 
Thus  ye  speak,  saying,  If  our  transgressions  and  our  sins  be  upon 
us,  and  we  pine  away  in  them,  how  should  we  then  live.''  Say 
unto  them,  As  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his  way  and 
live:  turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways;  for  why  will  ye  die, 
O  house  of  Israel?  Therefore,  thou  son  of  man,  say  unto  the 
children  of  thy  people.  The  righteousness  of  the  righteous  shall 
not  deliver  him  in  the  day  of  his  transgression:  as  for  the  wicked- 
ness of  the  wicked,  he  shall  not  fall  thereby  in  the  day  that  he  turn- 
cth  from  his  wickedness;  neither  shall  the  righteous  be  able  to  live 
for  his  righteousness  in   the   day   that  he  sinneth.     When  I  shall 


218  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

say  to  the  righteous,  that  he  shall  surely  live;  if  lie  trust  to  his  own 
righteousness  and  commit  iniquity,  all  his  righteousnesses  shall  not 
be  remembered:  but  for  his  iniquity  that  he  hath  committed,  he 
shall  die  for  it.  Again,  when  I  say  unto  the  wicked,  Thou  shalt 
surely  die;  if  he  turn  from  his  sin,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right;  If  the  wicked  restore  the  pledge,  give  again  that  he  had 
robbed,  walk  in  the  statutes  of  life,  without  committing  iniquity; 
he  shall  surely  live,  he  shall  not  die.  None  of  his  sins  that  he  hath 
committed  shall  be  mentioned  unto  him:  he  hath  done  that  which 
is  lawful  and  right;  he  shall  surely  live.  Yet  the  children  of  thy 
people  say.  The  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal:  but  as  for  them,  their 
way  is  not  equal.  When  the  righteous  turneth  from  his  righteousness, 
and  committeth  iniquity,  he  shall  even  die  thereby.  But  if  the 
wicked  turn  from  his  wickedness,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and 
right,  he  shall  live  thereby.  Yet  ye  say.  The  way  of  the  Lord  is 
not  equal.  O  ye  house  of  Israel,  I  will  judge  you  every  one  after 
his  ways  (verses  10-20). 

The  exiles  knew  that  the  just  wrath  of  God  rested  upon 
them  as  a  nation  and  that  their  sins  were  unforgiven. 
Therefore  they  asked  "If  our  transgressions  and  sins  be 
upon  us,  and  we  pine  away  in  them,  how  should  we  then 
live?"  They  also  accused  the  Lord  of  inconsistency  by 
saying  "the  way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal"  (verse  20;  see 
also  xviii:25,  29).  The  answer  Jehovah  sends  them  makes 
known  the  principles  on  which  He  will  deal  with  them  in- 
dividually as  a  just  God.  "O  ye  house  of  Israel,  I  will 
judge  you  every  one  after  his  ways."  Judgment  rested 
upon  them  as  a  nation  but  the  individual  still  could  turn 
to  the  Lord  in  repentance.  What  a  wonderful  declaration 
it  is  which  is  recorded  in  verse  eleven!  "Say  unto  them, 
as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  the  wicked;  but  that  the  wicked  turn  from  his 
way  and  live;  turn  ye,  turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways;  for 
why  will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel .''"  What  compassion  and 
mercy!  As  it  was  a  day  of  judgment  which  had  come 
upon  them,  true  repentance  was  the  needed  thing.     A  past 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  219 

righteousness  could  not  shield  them  from  the  judgment  if 
sin  had  been  committed.  "As  for  the  wickedness  of  the 
wicked,  he  shall  not  fall  thereby  in  the  day  that  he  turneth 
from  his  wickedness."  The  wicked  confessing  and  forsak- 
ing his  sin  would  find  mercy  and  forgiveness,  while  those 
who  were  impenitent  would  surely  die  and  not  live.  "None 
of  his  sins  that  he  hath  committed  shall  be  mentioned  unto 
him;  he  hath  done  that  which  is  lawful  and  right;  he  shall 
surely  live."  And  this  gracious  promise  was  given  in  antici- 
pation of  the  work  of  the  cross,  the  redemption  by  the  blood 
of  Christ,  by  which  God's  righteousness  is  declared  in  pass- 
ing thus  over  sins  of  Old  Testament  believers  who  turned 
to  God  (Rom.  iii:25).  The  principles  of  Divine  justice  are 
summed  up  in  verses  18  and  19:  "When  the  righteous 
turneth  from  his  righteousness,  and  committeth  iniquity, 
he  shall  even  die  thereby.  But  if  the  wicked  turn  from  his 
wickedness,  and  do  that  which  is  lawful  and  right,  he  shall 
live  thereby."  Needless  to  say  all  this  must  be  viewed  as 
under  the  law-covenant.  But  their  complaint  that  the 
way  of  the  Lord  is  not  equal  was  wrong;  it  was  their  way 
which  was  not  equal.  They  were  to  be  judged  each  accord- 
ing to  what  they  had  done. 

III.  The   News   of   Jerusalem's   Fall.       The  Prophet's 
Mouth  Opened. 

And  it  came  to  pass  in  the  twelfth  year  of  our  captivity,  in  the 
tenth  month,  in  the  fifth  day  of  the  month,  that  one  that  had 
escaped  out  of  Jerusalem  came  unto  me,  saying,  The  city  is  smitten. 
Now  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  me  in  the  evening,  afore  he 
that  was  escaped  came;  and  had  opened  my  mouth,  until  he  came 
to  me  in  the  morning;  and  my  mouth  was  opened,  and  I  was  no 
more  dumb.  Then  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying, 
Son  of  man,  they  that  inhabit  those  wastes  of  the  land  of  Israel 
speak,  saying,  Abraham  was  one,  and  he  inherited  the  land:  but 
we  are  many;  the  land  is  given  us  for  inheritance.  Wherefore  say 
unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;   Ye  eat  with  the  blood,  and 


220  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

lift  up  your  eyes  toward  your  idols,  and  shed  blood;  and  shall  ye 
possess  the  land?  Ye  stand  upon  your  sword,  ye  work  abomina- 
tion, and  ye  defile  every  one  his  neighbour's  wife:  and  shall  ye 
possess  the  land?  Say  thou  thus  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  As  I  live,  surely  they  that  are  in  the  wastes. shall  fall  by  the 
sword,  and  him  that  is  in  the  open  field  will  I  give  to  the  beasts  to 
be  devoured,  and  they  that  be  in  the  forts  and  in  the  caves  shall 
die  of  the  pestilence.  For  I  will  lay  the  land  most  desolate,  and  the 
pomp  of  her  strength  shall  cease;  and  the  mountains  of  Israel  shall 
be  desolate,  that  none  shall  pass  through.  Then  shall  they  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  laid  the  land  most  desolate  because 
of  all  their  abominations  which  thej'  have  committed  (verses 
21-29). 

At  last  the  long  threatened  and  predicted  fall  of  Jerusa- 
lem through  Nebuchadnezzar,  which  had  happened  months 
before  is  announced  to  the  exiles  by  one  who  had  escaped. 
The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  then  upon  the  Prophet  in  the 
evening,  before  the  messenger  had  arrived,  and  had  opened 
his  mouth.  In  chapter  xxiv:27  the  promise  had  been  given 
that  when  he  that  escaped  came,  the  Prophet  should  be  no 
more  dumb.  "In  that  day  shall  thy  mouth  be  opened  to 
him  which  is  escaped,  and  then  thou  shalt  speak,  and  be  no 
more  dumb,  and  thou  shalt  be  a  sign  unto  them;  and  they 
shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."  This  dumbness  does  not 
mean  that  his  mouth  was  silent  and  did  not  utter  a  word, 
for  he  prophesied  in  chapters  xxv-xxxii.  He  was  to  bedumb  as 
regards  Israel  and  his  testimony  to  his  people;  the  inter- 
vening chapters,  before  the  messenger  came  concerns  other 
nations.  And  now  the  messenger  had  arrived,  his  mouth 
is  opened  again  to  prophesy  concerning  Israel.  It  seems 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  Ezekiel  from  the  evening 
to  the  morning  when  the  messenger  announced  "the  city 
is  smitten."  The  words  recorded  in  the  first  part  of  this 
chapter  are  undoubtedly  the  prophet's  evening  discourse, 
and  form  an  introduction  to  this  section.  He  is  told  to 
rebuke  those  that  inhabit  the  waste  places  in  the  land    of 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  221 

Israel.  This  is  the  remnant  left  in  the  land  by  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, to  whom  the  king  of  Babylon  gave  Geddaliah  as 
ruler  (2  Kings  xxv:22).  In  spite  of  the  great  judgment 
which  had  come  upon  Jerusalem  and  upon  the  land,  this 
remnant,  which  remained  in  the  land,  was  unbroken  and 
exhibited  a  strange  self-confidence.  They  reasoned  in  this 
wise:  "Abraham  was  one  and  he  inherited  the  land;  but 
we  are  many;  the  land  is  given  us  for  inheritance."  But 
they  lacked  the  faith  and  righteousness  of  Abraham,  and 
the  Lord  uncovers  now  their  false  claims  and  pretensions 
by  showing  their  moral  character.  Their  hearts  were  hard- 
ened; they  lived  on  in  their  wicked,  vile  and  idolatrous 
ways.  "And  shall  ye  possess  the  land?"  asks  Jehovah. 
And  He  answers,  "As  I  live,  surely  they  that  are  in  the 
waste  places  shall  fall  by  the  sword,  and  him  that  is  in  the 
open  field  will  I  give  to  the  beasts  to  be  devoured,  and  they 
that  be  in  the  strongholds  and  in  the  caves  shall  die  of  the 
pestilence." 

IV.  Hearers  of  the  Words  of  the  Prophet,  and  Not 
Doers. 

Also,  thou  son  of  man,  the  children  of  thy  people  still  are  talking 
against  thee  by  the  walls  and  in  the  doors  of  the  houses,  and  speak 
one  to  another,  every  one  to  his  brother,  saying.  Come,  I  pray 
you,  and  hear  what  is  the  word  that  cometh  forth  from  the  Lord. 
And  they  come  unto  thee  as  the  people  cometh,  and  they  sit  before 
thee  as  my  people,  and  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  will  not  do 
them:  for  with  their  mouth  they  shew  much  love,  but  their  heart 
goeth  after  their  covetousness.  And,  lo,  thou  art  unto  them  as  a 
very  lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  pleasant  voice,  and  can  play 
well  on  an  instrument:  for  they  hear  thy  words,  but  they  do  them 
not.  And  when  this  cometh  to  pass  (lo,  it  will  come),  then  shall 
they  know  that  a  prophet  hath  been  among  them  (verses  30-33). 

How  deplorable  was  their  condition,  listening  to  the 
Prophet's  words,  saying  one  to  the  other^  "Come,  I  pray 
you,  what  is  the  virprd  that  comQth  forth  from,  the  Lord," 


222  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

They  took  before  the  Prophet  the  position  as  God's  people, 
professing  it  with  their  mouths,  listening  to  all  the  Prophet 
said  and  yet  refused  obedience.  With  their  mouth  they 
showed  much  love,  they  spoke  nice  and  pleasant  words, 
but  their  hearts  continued  in  the  evil  ways.  As  the  Sep- 
tuagint  version  paraphrases  it,  "because  a  lie  is  in  their 
mouth."  They  were  hearers  of  the  words,  but  not  doers.  And 
such  is  to-day  the  sad  condition  of  Christendom.  What  the 
Prophet  had  announced  was  coming  to  pass  and  when 
it  came  they  would  find  out  that  a  Prophet  had  been  among 
them. 

And  even  so  to-day.  The  mass  of  professing  Christians 
listen  to  the  Word  of  God.  They  remain  indifferent. 
Their  hearts  and  consciences  are  not  touched.  But  ere 
long  they,  too,  will  find  out  "that  a  Prophet  hath  been 
among  them"  and  that  the  Word  they  rejected  and  refused 
to  obey  will  condemn  them. 

CONCERNING  THE  SHEPHERDS. 
Chapter  xxxiv. 

This  chapter  contains  the  first  great  prophecy  given  to 
Ezekiel  after  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  had  been  announced.  It 
is  a  message  of  comfort  and  concerns  the  glorious  future  of 
the  nation  in  coming  days,  when  the  true  shepherd  of  Israel 
will  appear  in  their  midst.  Here  we  find  the  majestic  "I 
will"  of  the  Lord,  that  blessed  word  of  the  grace-covenant 
of  a  sovereign  God.  It  tells  us  what  Jehovah  in  infinite 
mercy  will  do  for  His  scattered  and  bleeding  people.  His 
own  flock,  the  people  who  are  still  beloved  for  the  fathers' 
sake  (Rom.  xi:28).  How  He  will  gather  His  scattered 
sheep,  bring  them  back  from  their  wanderings  among  the 
nations,  save  them,  feed  them,  heal  and  restore  them,  give 
them  the  true  shepherd  and  make  a  covenant  of  peace  with 
His  people  is  now  blessedly  made  known.     We  shall    see 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  223 

that  none  of  these  gracious  promises  was  fulfilled  in  the 
return  of  the  remnant  from  Babylon,  nor  have  these  promises 
been  accomplished  since  then.  It  all  awaits  the  coming 
of  their  Shepherd-King,  the  true  David,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  The  chapter  begins  with  a  description  of  the  sheep 
of  Israel  in  their  sad  and  deplorable  condition  and  an  indict- 
ment of  the  false  shepherds. 

I.  The  False  Shepherds  of  Israel. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
prophesy  against  the  shepherds  of  Israel,  prophesy,  and  say  unto 
them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  the  shepherds;  Woe  be  to  the 
shepherds  of  Israel  that  do  feed  themselves!  should  not  the  shep- 
herds feed  the  flocks?  Ye  eat  the  fat,  and  ye  clothe  you  with  the 
wool,  ye  kill  them  that  are  fed:  but  ye  feed  not  the  flock.  The 
diseased  have  ye  not  strengthened,  neither  have  ye  healed  that 
which  was  sick,  neither  have  ye  bound  up  that  which  was  broken, 
neither  have  ye  brought  again  that  which  was  driven  away, 
neither  have  ye  sought  that  which  was  lost;  but  with  force  and  with 
cruelty  have  ye  ruled  them.  And  they  were  scattered,  because 
there  is  no  shepherd;  and  they  became  meat  to  all  the  beasts  of  the 
field,  when  they  were  scattered.  My  sheep  wandered  through  all 
the  mountains,  and  upon  every  high  hill;  yea,  my  flock  was  scattered 
upon  all  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  none  did  search  or  seek  after 
them  (verses  1-6). 

The  shepherds  of  Israel  were  the  kings  and  princes  who 
ruled  over  the  nation  and  had  authority  over  them.  The 
prophet  Jeremiah  also  received  a  similar  message  against 
these  evil  shepherds  who  had  spoiled  the  flock.  "Woe  be 
unto  the  pastors  (shepherds)  that  destroy  and  scatter  the 
sheep  of  my  pasture!  saith  the  Lord.  Therefore  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  against  the  pastors  that  feed 
my  people;  ye  have  scattered  my  flock,  and  driven  them 
away,  and  have  not  visited  them;  behold  I  will  visit  upon 
you  the  evil  of  your  doings,  saith  the  Lord"  (Jere.  xxiii: 
1-2).  Shepherds  are  called  to  feed  the  flock;  but  these 
shepherds  of  Israel  fed  themselves.     They  were  responsible 


224  THE    PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

for  the  deplorable  condition  of  the  flock.  They  ruled  them 
with  force  and  cruelty.  There  was  no  strengthening  for 
those  diseased,  no  healing  for  the  sick,  no  recovery  of  them 
who  were  lost  and  driven  away.  Utterly  selfish,  they  cared 
not  for  the  sheep  of  His  pasture;  they  neither  feared  God 
nor  loved  His  people.  They  looked  upon  the  people  not 
as  the  flock  of  God,  but  only  as  their  own  to  spoil,  misuse 
and  domineer  over.  Therefore,  "They  were  scattered, 
because  there  is  no  shepherd;  and  they  became  meat  for  all 
the  beasts  of  the  field,  where  they  were  scattered.  My 
sheep  wandered  through  all  the  mountains,  and  upon  every 
high  hill;  yea  my  flock  was  scattered  upon  all  the  face  of 
the  earth,  and  none  did  search  or  seek  after  them"    (verses 

Such  was  the  sad  condition  of  the  people  Israel.  And 
when  the  Lord  Jesus  appeared  in  their  midst  to  seek  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel,  He  found  them  as  sheep  without 
a  shepherd  and  He  had  compassion  upon  them  (Mark 
vi:34).  But  they  rejected  Him  and  the  Shepherd  was 
smitten.  Zechariah's  prophecy  was  fulfilled.  "Awake,  O 
sword,  against  my  Shepherd,  and  against  the  man  that  is 
my  fellow,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Smite  the  Shepherd  and 
the  sheep  shall  be  scattered,  and  I  will  turn  mine  hand 
upon  the  little  ones"  (Zech.  xiii:7).  The  false  shepherds, 
the  Pharisees  and  the  Sadducees,  were  a  curse  to  the  people 
and  the  leaders  were  against  the  Shepherd.  They  delivered 
Him  into  the  hands  of  the  Gentiles.  And  now  for  nearly 
2.000  years  the  sheep  have  been  scattered  and  peeled, 
wandering  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  (Luke  xxi:24). 
What  is  their  hope  and  coming  blessing  we  learn  from  this 
great  prophecy.* 


*What  is  said  in  this  chapter  of  the  false  shepherds  who  ill-treated 
the  flock  of  God,  His  ancient  people,  may  also  be  applied  to  the  false 
shepherds,  the  hirelings  in  the  professing  church.  See  Acts  xx:28-35 
and  1  Peter  v:2-3. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  225 

II.  The  False  Shepherds  Convicted  and  Set  Aside. 

Therefore,  ye  shepherds,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord;  As  I  live, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  surely  because  my  flock  became  a  prey,  and 
my  flock  became  meat  to  every  beast  of  the  field,  because  there 
was  no  shepherd,  neither  did  my  shepherds  search  for  my  flock, 
but  the  shepherds  fed  themselves,  and  fed  not  my  flock;  Therefore, 
O  ye  shepherds,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord;  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold,  I  am  against  the  shepherds;  and  I  will  require  my 
flock  at  their  hand,  and  cause  them  to  cease  from  feeding  the  flock; 
neither  shall  the  shepherds  feed  themselves  any  more;  for  I  will 
deliver  my  flock  from  their  mouth,  that  they  may  not  be  meat  for 
them  (verses  7-10), 

Jehovah  addresses  the  shepherds  and  condemns  their 
wicked  oppression  of  His  own  sheep.  He  remembers  in 
mercy  His  flock  which  has  been  torn  as  a  prey  by  their 
leaders,  who  acted  like  the  wild  beasts  of  the  field.  He 
requires  now  the  flock  from  their  hands  and  sets  the  false 
shepherds  aside  and  announces  that  He  will  deliver  His 
sheep.  "For  I  will  deliver  my  flock  from  thejr  mouth, 
that  they  may  not  be  meat  for  them."  The  rest  of  the 
chapter  shows  His  deliverance  and  what  the  Lord  will 
do  for  His  people  Israel. 

III.  The  Deliverance  of  His  Flock. 

For  thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Behold,  I,  even  I,  will  both  search 
my  sheep,  and  seek  them  out.  As  a  shepherd  seeketh  out  his  flock 
in  the  day  that  he  is  among  his  sheep  that  are  scattered;  so  will  I 
seek  out  my  sheep,  and  will  deliver  them  out  of  all  places  where  they 
have  been  scattered  in  the  cloudy  and  dark  day.  And  I  will  bring 
them  out  from  the  people,  and  gather  them  from  the  countries,  and 
will  bring  them  to  their  own  land,  and  feed  them  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Israel  by  the  rivers,  and  in  all  the  inhabited  places  of  the 
country.  I  will  feed  them  in  a  good  pasture,  and  upon  the  high 
mountains  of  Israel  shall  their  fold  be:  there  shall  they  lie  in  a 
good  fold,  and  in  a  fat  pasture  shall  they  feed  upon  the  mountains 
of  Israel.  I  will  feed  my  flock,  and  I  will  cause  them  to  He  down, 
saith  the  Lord  God.     I  will  seek  that  which  was  lost,  and  bring  again 


226  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

that  which  was  driven  away,  and  will  bind  up  that  which  was 
broken,  and  will  strengthen  that  which  was  sick;  but  I  will  destroy 
the  fat  and  the  strong;  I  will  feed  them  with  judgment.  And  as 
for  you,  O  my  flock,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  judge 
between  cattle  and  cattle,  betv/een  the  rams  and  the  he  goats. 
Seemeth  it  a  small  thing  unto  you  to  have  eaten  up  the  good 
pasture,  but  ye  must  tread  down  with  your  feet  the  residue  of  your 
pastures?  and  to  have  drunk  of  the  deep  waters,  but  ye  must  foul 
the  residue  with  your  feet?  And  as  for  my  flock,  they  eat  that 
which  ye  have  trodden  with  your  feet;  and  they  drink  that  which 
ye  have  fouled  with  your  feet    (verses  11-19). 

"Behold,  I  myself,  even  I,  will  search  for  my  sheep  and 
will  seek  them  out."  Jehovah  arises  in  behalf  of  His  scat- 
tered sheep.  He  will  Himself  exercise  the  office  of  a  true 
shepherd,  seeking  out  His  flock.  The  cloudy  and  dark 
day  (the  times  of  the  Gentiles)  is  gone  and  another  morning 
breaks,  the  morning  for  which  His  people  have  waited  so 
long.  What  He  will  do  at  that  time  for  His  scattered  sheep 
is  now  fully  proclaimed.  "I  will  bring  them  out  from  the 
people,  and  gather  them  from  the  countries,  and  will  bring 
them  to  their  own  land,  and  feed  them  upon  the  mountains 
of  Israel  by  the  rivers,  and  in  all  the  inhabited  places  of 
the  country.  I  will  feed  them  in  a  good  pasture,  and  upon 
the  high  mountains  of  Israel  shall  their  fold  be;  there  shall 
they  lie  down  in  a  good  fold,  and  in  a  fat  pasture  shall  they 
feed  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel.  I  will  feed  my  flock, 
and  I  will  cause  them  to  lie  down,  saith  the  Lord."  And 
all  this  has  not  yet  come  to  pass.  Some  apply  these  words 
to  the  restoration  of  a  remnant  from  the  Babylonian  cap- 
tivity and  see  no  future  fulfillment  of  these  promises.  It  is 
evident  that  the  returning  remnant  did  not  possess  these 
blessings.  Others  make  a  spiritual  application  and  claim 
that  it  means  the  church  and  the  blessing  which  Gentiles 
will  receive  as  the  sheep  of  Christ.  This  is  the  common 
path  which  most  commentators  follow.      It  needs  no  lengthy 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  227 

refutation,  for  Ezekiel,  nor  the  other  prophets  know  nothing 
of  the  church  and  the  "other  sheep,"  Gentiles  saved  by  grace 
and  with  beheving  Jews  constituting  the  one  flock  (John 
x:16;  Ephesians  iii:l-6).  This  is  unrevealed  in  the  Old 
Testament.  These  gracious  words  of  promise  have  not 
yet  been  fulfilled,  nor  will  they  be  fulfilled  as  long  as  the 
church,  the  body  of  Christ  is  being  gathered  out  from  all 
nations.  All  must  wait  till  God's  purpose  in  this  age  is 
accomplished.  When  the  church  is  complete  as  to  its 
elect  number,  when  the  Lord  has  come  for  His  saints  and 
the  true  church  has  passed  from  earth  into  glory,  then  will 
the  Lord  turn  in  mercy  to  His  people  Israel  and  these 
promises  given  by  Ezekiel  will  be  fulfilled. 

But  Jehovah  will  also  feed  them  in  that  coming  day  of 
blessing  with  judgment.  "I  will  seek  that  which  was  lost, 
and  bring  again  that  which  was  driven  away,  and  will  bind 
up  that  which  was  broken,  and  will  strengthen  that  which 
was  sick;  but  I  will  destroy  the  fat  and  the  strong;  I  will 
feed  them  with  judgment."  The  fat  and  the  strong  are 
the  apostates  of  Israel.  He  will  deal  with  the  flock  in 
judgment.  Before  He  occupies  the  throne  of  His  glory, 
when  He  separates  the  assembled  nations  as  a  shepherd 
divides  the  sheep  from  the  goats.  He  will  judge  His  people 
Israel.  "And  as  for  you,  my  flock,  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God,  Behold  I  judge  between  cattle  and  cattle,  between 
the  rams  and  the  he  goats."  The  unbelieving,  apostate 
part  of  Israel  will  be  cut  off  by  the  judgments  of  the  great 
tribulation,  but  a  God-fearing  remnant  will  be  saved.  To 
this  remnant  the  promises  will  be  made  good.  "And  I 
will  gather  the  remnant  of  my  flock  out  of  all  countries 
whither  I  have  driven  them,  and  will  bring  them  again 
to  their  folds,  and  they  shall  be  fruitful  and  increase" 
(Jere.  xxiii:3).  With  this  remnant  He  will  make  an  ever- 
lasting covenant.     "And  I  will  make  an  everlasting    cove- 


228  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

nant  with  them,  that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do 
them  good;  but  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they 
shall  not  depart  from  Me.  Yea,  I  will  rejoice  over  them 
to  do  them  good,  and  I  will  plant  them  in  this  land  assuredly 
with  my  whole  heart  and  with  my  whole  soul"  (Jere. 
xxxii:40,  41). 

IV.    The  One  Shepherd  and  the  Covenant  of  Peace. 

Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  them;  Behold,  I,  even  I, 
will  judge  between  the  fat  cattle  and  between  the  lean  cattle. 
Because  ye  have  thrust  with  side  and  with  shoulder,  and  pushed 
all  the  diseased  with  your  horns,  till  ye  have  scattered  them  abroad; 
therefore  will  I  save  my  flock,  and  they  shall  no  more  be  a  prey; 
and  I  will  judge  between  cattle  and  cattle.  And  I  will  set  up  one 
shepherd  over  them,  and  he  shall  feed  them,  even  my  servant  David; 
he  shall  feed  them,  and  he  shall  be  their  shepherd.  And  I  the  Lord 
will  be  their  God,  and  my  servant  David  a  prince  among  them; 
I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it.  And  I  will  make  with  them  a  covenant 
of  peace,  and  will  cause  the  evil  beasts  to  cease  out  of  the  land: 
and  they  shall  dwell  safely  in  the  wilderness,  and  sleep  in  the  woods. 
And  I  will  make  them  and  the  places  round  about  my  hill  a  blessing; 
and  I  will  cause  the  shower  to  come  down  in  his  season;  there  shall 
be  showers  of  blessing.  And  the  tree  of  the  field  shall  yield  her 
fruit,  and  the  earth  shall  yield  her  increase,  and  they  shall  be  safe 
in  their  land,  and  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  when  I  have  broken 
the  banks  of  their  yoke,  and  delivered  them  out  of  the  hand  of  those 
that  served  themselves  of  them.  And  they  shall  nor  more  be  a  prey 
to  the  heathen,  neither  shall  the  beast  of  the  land  devour  them; 
but  they  shall  dwell  safely,  and  none  shall  make  them  afraid. 
And  I  will  raise  up  for  them'a  plant  of  renown,  and  they  shall  be 
no  more  consumed  with  hunger  in  the  land,  neither  bear  the  shame 
of  the  heathen  any  more.  Thus  shall  they  know  that  I  the  Lord 
their  God  am  with  them,  and  that  they,  even  the  house  of  Israel, 
are  my  people,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  ye  my  flock,  the  flock 
of  my  pasture,  are  men,  and  I  am  your  God,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  20-31). 

We  reach  the  climax  in  the  final  section  of  this  chapter. 
He  through  whom  all  this  will  be  accomplished  is  now  men- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  229 

tioned  by  the  prophet.  "And  I  will  set  up  one  Shepherd 
over  them,  and  He  shall  feed  them,  even  my  servant  David; 
he  shall  feed  them,  and  he  shall  be  their  shepherd.  And 
I  the  Lord  will  be  their  God,  and  my  servant  David  a 
prince  among  them;  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it."  Some 
have  applied  this  to  Zerubbabel,  the  head  of  Judah  at  the 
return  from  the  Babylonish  captivity;  this  is  done  by  those 
who  deny  a  future  restoration  of  Israel.  Others  take  these 
words  in  a  strictly  literal  sense  and  teach  that  David  the 
King  will  become  the  head  of  the  nation  once  more  and 
raised  from  the  dead  will  be  the  one  shepherd  over  His 
people.  It  is  not  David,  but  He  who  is  according  to  the 
flesh  the  Son  of  David  and  David's  Lord  as  well.  The  one 
Shepherd  can  only  be  the  Messiah.  Numerous  passages 
show  that  David's  name  is  used  in  a  typical  sense.  Jere- 
miah announced,  "They  shall  serve  the  Lord  their  God, 
and  David  their  King,  whom  I  will  raise  up  unto  them" 
(Jere.  xxx:10).  Here  David  stands  typically  for  Christ, 
the  Messiah  of  Israel,  for  He  is  raised  up  unto  them  when 
Jacob's  trouble  is  ended  (verses  1-7).  Of  Him  Jeremiah 
speaks  more  fully  in  chapter  xxiii:5-6:  "Behold,  the 
days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  raise  unto  David 
a  righteous  Branch,  and  a  King  shall  reign  and  prosper, 
and  shall  execute  judgment  and  justice  in  the  earth.  In 
His  days  Judah  shall  be  saved,  and  Israel  shall  dwell  safely; 
and  this  is  the  name  whereby  He  shall  be  called,  the  Lord 
our  Righteousness."  The  two,  Judah  and  Israel,  will  be 
reunited  by  the  one  Shepherd.  The  Messiah  of  Israel  is 
also  mentioned  by  Hosea  as  David.  "Afterward  shall  the 
children  of  Israel  return,  and  seek  the  Lord  their  God,  and 
David  their  King  and  shall  fear  the  Lord  and  His  goodness 
in  the  latter  days"  (Hosea  iii:5).  Isaiah  speaks  of  the 
sure  mercies  of  David  and  adds,  "Behold  I  have  given  Him 
for  a  witness  to  the  people,  a  leader  (prince)  and  commander 


230  THE  PROPHET  EZEKlEL. 

to  the  people."  It  is  therefore  not  David,  raised  from  the 
dead,  but  the  Prince  of  Peace,  who  was  here  once  to  seek 
the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel  and  who  comes  again 
to  save  the  remnant  of  His  people  Israel  and  to  receive  the 
Throne  of  David  (Isaiah  ix:6-7). 

When  the  Lord  is  doing  all  what  is  promised  here  and  the 
remnant  has  accepted  the  long  rejected  Messiah-King,  a 
covenant  of  peace  and  blessing  will  follow.  "And  I  will 
make  with  them  a  covenant  of  peace,  and  will  cause  the 
evil  beasts  to  cease  out  of  the  land,  and  they  shall  dwell 
safely  in  the  wilderness,  and  sleep  in  the  woods.  Peace 
will  come  to  the  land  and  to  the  whole  earth  with  His 
Coming.  The  evil  beasts,  the  Gentile  world  powers  (Dan. 
vii)  will  no  longer  devastate  the  land.  All  will  be  peace  and 
safety  so  that  they  can  sleep  peacefully  in  the  woods.  "There 
shall  be  showers  of  blessing"  (verse  26).  How  often  a 
hymn  is  sung  based  upon  this  promise: 

"There  shall  be  showers  of  blessing, 
This  is  the  promise  of  love." 

But  ^how  few  who  sing  it  know  that  the  promise  belongs 
first  of  all  to  Israel.  When  the  Lord  comes  the  showers  of 
blessing  will  be  poured  forth  upon  His  people  and  upon  all 
nations.  It  will  be  "the  times  of  refreshing"  (Acts  iii:20). 
Verses  27  and  28  give  a  brief  description  of  the  millennial 
Kingdom.  Groaning  creation  will  then  be  delivered  and 
the  wild  beasts  will  have  their  nature  changed  (compare 
verse  28  with  Isaiah  xi:6-9  and  Rom.  viii:19-22).  There 
is  no  need  to  speculate  on  the  meaning  of  "the  plant  of 
renown"  which  will  be  raised  up.  It  is  none  other  than  He, 
who,  as  to  His  humiliation,  is  described  as  "a  tender  plant" 
and  "as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground"  (Isaiah  liii:2).  But 
now  He  appears  in  all  His  glory  and  becomes  the  plant  of 
renown.  Their  shame  and  suffering  will  then  be  over.  He 
will  be  their  God  and  they  will  be  His  people. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  231 

THE  JUDGMENT  OF  MOUNT  SEIR  AND  WHAT 
FOLLOWS. 

Chapter  xxxv. 

This  is  another  judgment  message,  which  is  closely  related 
to  the  coming  restoration  of  Israel.  When  the  Lord  is 
merciful  to  His  people  and  bestows  upon  them  the  promised 
blessings  He  will  also  deal  with  their  enemies  in  judgment. 
Edom  was  the  most  bitter  enemy  of  Israel,  their  blood- 
relation.  The  judgment  threatened  here  was  executed 
upon  Edom;  but  it  has  a  prophetic  meaning  of  the  judg- 
ment which  is  in  store  for  the  enemies  of  God's  people  when 
the  times  of  the  Gentiles  end  and  God  arises  in  behalf  of 
His  suffering  and  persecuted  people. 

I.    The  Judgment  of  Mount  Seir. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
set  thy  face  against  mount  Seir,  and  prophesy  against  it.  And  say 
unto  it.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  O  mount  Seir,  I  am 
against  thee,  and  I  will  stretch  out  mine  hand  against  thee,  and  I 
will  make  thee  most  desolate.  I  will  lay  thy  cities  waste,  and  thou 
shalt  be  desolate,  and  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  Because 
thou  hast  had  a  perpetual  hatred,  and  hast  shed  the  blood  of  the 
children  of  Israel  by  the  force  of  the  sword  in  the  time  of  their 
calamity,  in  the  time  that  their  iniquity  had  an  end:  Therefore,  as 
I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  prepare  thee  unto  blood,  and 
blood  shall  pursue  thee:  since  thou  hast  not  hated  blood,  even  blood 
shall  pursue  thee.  Thus  will  I  make  mount  Seir  most  desolate, 
and  cut  off  from  it  him  that  passeth  out  and  him  that  returneth. 
And  I  will  fill  his  mountains  with  his  slain  men;  in  thy  hills,  and  in 
thy  valleys,  and  in  all  thy  rivers,  shall  they  fall  that  are  slain  with 
the  sword.  I  will  make  thee  perpetual  desolations,  and  thy  cities 
shall  not  return:  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  Because 
thou  hast  said.  These  two  nations  and  these  two  countries  shall 
be  mine,  and  we  will  possess  it;  w^hereas  the  Lord  was  there:  There- 
fore, as  I  live,  saith  the  Lord  God,  I  will  even  do  according  to 
thine  anger,  and  according  to  thine  envy  which  thou  hast  used  out 
of  thy  hatred  against  them;   and  I  will  make  myself  known  among 


232  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

them,  when  I  have  judged  thee.  And  thou  shalt  know  that  I  am 
the  Lord,  and  that  I  have  heard  all  thy  blasphemies  which  thou 
hast  spoken  against  the  mountains  of  Israel,  saying,  They  are  laid 
desolate,  they  are  given  us  to  consume.  Thus  with  your  mouth 
ye  have  boasted  against  me,  and  have  multiplied  your  words  against 
me:  I  have  heard  them  (verses  1-13). 

Mount  Seir  is  mentioned  for  the  first  time  in  Genesis 
xxxvi:9,  as  the  dwelling  place  of  the  Edomites.  Seir  means 
"shaggy,"  an  allusion  to  the  rugged  character  of  Idumea. 
The  Edomites  and  Israelites  were  descendants  of  Abraham; 
Edom  from  Esau  and  Israel  from  Jacob.  God  told  Israel 
not  to  forget  their  relationship  to  the  descendants  of  Esau. 
But  the  Edomites  hated  Israel.  Beautiful  were  the  words 
which  Moses  addressed  to  Edom,  when  he  sent  messengers 
from  Kadesh.  "Thus  saith  thy  brother  Israel,  thou  knowest 
all  the  travail  that  hath  befallen  us,  how  our  fathers  went 
down  to  Egypt  and  dwelt  in  Egypt  a  long  time;  and  the 
Egyptians  evil  entreated  us,  and  our  fathers;  and  when 
we  cried  unto  the  Lord,  He  heard  our  voice,  and  sent  an 
angel,  and  brought  us  forth  out  of  Egypt,  and  behold  we 
are  in  Kadesh,  a  city  in  the  uttermost  of  thy  border;  let 
us  pass,  I  pray  thee  through  thy  land"  (Numbers  xx:14-17). 
The  Edomites  rejected  this  loving  word  and  forced  the 
Israelites  to  take  another  way.  More  than  once  did  they 
attack  from  their  mountains  the  people  Israel  and  slew  them. 
"He  did  pursue  his  brother  with  the  sword,  and  did  cast  off 
all  pity,  and  his  anger  did  tear  perpetually,  and  he  kept  his 
wrath  forever"  (Amos  i:ll).  Most  scathing  is  Edom's 
arraignment  through  the  prophet  Obadiah.  "For  thy 
violence  against  thy  brother  Jacob  shame  shall  cover  thee, 
and  thou  shalt  be  cut  off  forever.  In  the  day  that  thou 
stoodest  on  the  other  side,  in  the  day  that  the  strangers 
carried  away  captive  his  forces,  and  foreigners  entered  into 
his  gates,  and  cast  lots  upon  Jerusalem,  even  thou  wast 
one  of  them.     But  thou  shouldest  not  have  looked  on  the 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  233 

day  of  thy  brother  in  the  day  that  he  became  a  stranger; 
neither  shouldest  thou  have  rejoiced  over  the  children  of 
Judah  in  the  day  of  their  destruction;  neither  shouldest 
thou  have  spoken  proudly  in  the  day  of  distress"  (Obad. 
verses  9-14).  Theirs  was  a  perpetual  hatred  as  God  speaks 
here  through  Ezekiel.  Judgment  is  therefore  announced, 
a  judgment  which  should  make  their  land  desolate  and  extin- 
guish them  as  a  nation.  "I  will  make  thee  most  desolate." 
"I  will  lay  thy  cities  waste,  and  thou  shalt  be  desolate." 
"Thus  will  I  make  mount  Seir  most  desolate."  "I  will 
make  thee  perpetual  desolation,  and  thy  cities  shall  not 
return."  They  were  a  proud,  a  boasting  people,  defying 
God  and  hating  His  chosen  people.  "Thus  with  your  mouth 
ye  have  boasted  against  me,  and  have  multiplied  your  words 
against  me;   I  have  heard  them." 

And  this  threatened  judgment  has  fallen  upon  Edom's 
land.  Their  capital  was  the  great  rock  city  Petra,  called 
Selah  in  the  Bible  (2  Kings  xiv:7). 

It  was  once  a  powerful  city,  which  carried  on  an  immense 
trade;  it  was,  according  to  ancient  historians,  the  terminus 
of  one  of  the  great  commercial  routes  of  Asia.  And  now 
in  that  once  so  prosperous  land  an  indescribable  desolation 
reigns.  Its  great  commerce  has  utterly  passed  away  and 
the  doom  announced  in  this  chapter  has  been  almost  fully 
accomplished.  Yet  all  this  also  stands  related  to  a  future 
day  when  Israel  is  being  delivered  and  when  the  Lord  will 
judge  Edom  and  all  the  nations  which  hate  His  people. 
"The  punishment  of  their  iniquity  is  accomplished,  O, 
daughter  of  Zion;  He  will  no  more  carry  thee  away  into 
captivity;  He  will  visit  thine  iniquity,  O  daughter  of  Edom; 
He  will  discover  thy  sins"  (Lam.  iv:22).  The  spirit  of 
hatred,  pride,  envy  and  blasphemy  mentioned  in  verses 
11-13  is  characteristic  of  the  ungodly  nations  who  defy 
God  when  the  times  of  the  Gentiles  end.     Of  that  final 


234  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

beast  which  domineers  over  the  earth  and  persecutes  the 
remnant  of  Israel,  before  the  Lord  comes,  it  is  written,  "And 
he  opened  his  mouth  in  blasphemy  against  God,  to  blas- 
pheme His  name,  and  his  tabernacle,  and  them  that  dwell 
in  heaven"  (Rev.  xiii:6).  But  as  Ezekiel  declares  concerning 
these  blasphemies  spoken  against  Israel  and  Israel's  Lord, 
"I  have  heard  them,"  and  He  will  act,  in  judgment  against 
all  His  enemies. 

II.    The  Time  of  Rejoicing. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  When  the  whole  earth  rejoiceth,  I  will 
make  thee  desolate.  As  thou  didst  rejoice  at  the  inheritance  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  because  it  was  desolate,  so  will  I  do  unto  thee:  thou 
shalt  be  desolate,  O  mount  Seir,  and  all  Idumea,  even  all  of  it:  and 
they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord  (verses  14-15). 

The  time  is  coming  when  the  whole  earth  will  rejoice. 
Moses  in  his  prophetic  Song  spoke  of  this:  "Rejoice  O 
ye  nations,  with  His  people;  for  He  will  avenge  the  blood 
of  His  servants,  and  will  render  vengeance  to  His  adver- 
saries, and  will  be  merciful  unto  His  land,  and  to  His  people" 
(Deut.  xxxii:43).  When  the  Lord  comes  and  delivers  His 
earthly  people  and  brings  them  back  to  their  land  all  will 
be  completely  reversed.  Israel  now  mourning  and  suffering 
will  rejoice  and  all  their  enemies  shall  mourn  forever,  on 
account  of  God's  righteous  judgments.  Then  will  the  world 
know  that  He  is  Jehovah. 

THE  PROMISES  OF  GRACE. 
Chapter  xxxvi. 

With  this  chapter  the  great  prophetic  utterances  of 
Ezekiel  begin  which  have  for  a  topic  the  future  restoration 
and  blessing  of  the  people  Israel.  From  chapter  xxxvi  to 
the  end  of  this  book  all  is  unfulfilled.  How  Jehovah  will  deal 
with  the  enemies  of  His  people  in  judgment,  and  then  turn  in 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  235 

grace  and  mercy  to  His  own  nation  to  bless  them  with 
spiritual  and  national  blessings  is  the  message  of  this  chapter. 
In  chapter  xxxvii  we  find  the  vision  of  the  dry  bones,  typical 
of  the  national  and  spiritual  resurrection  of  Israel.  The 
house  of  Judah  and  the  house  of  Israel  will  be  united  into 
one,  to  dwell  in  the  land  of  their  fathers.  The  great  blessings 
will  then  be  theirs  under  the  covenant  of  peace,  while  the 
tabernacle  of  God  is  in  the  midst  of  them  and  the  true  King 
reigns  over  them.  Chapters  xxxviii  and  xxxix  show  the 
final  enemies  of  Israel,  Gog  and  Magog,  and  their  complete 
overthrow.  Chapters  xl-xlviii  are  millennial,  giving  a  des- 
cription of  the  future  temple  to  be  built  in  Jerusalem,  its 
worship  and  glory. 

I.    The  Judgment  of  Israel's  Enemies. 

Also,  thou  Son  of  man,  prophesy  unto  the  mountains  of  Israel, 
and  say,  Ye  mountains  of  Israel,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord:  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  the  enemy  hath  said  against  you.  Aha, 
even  the  ancient  high  places  are  ours  in  possession:  Therefore 
prophesy  and  say.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Because  they  have 
made  you  desolate,  and  swallowed  you  up  on  every  side,  that  ye 
might  be  a  possession  unto  the  residue  of  the  heathen,  and  ye 
are  taken  up  in  the  lips  of  talkers,  and  are  an  infamy  of  the  people: 
Therefore,  ye  mountains  of  Israel,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  God; 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  to  the  mountains,  and  to  the  hills,  to  the 
rivers,  and  to  the  valleys,  to  the  desolate  wastes,  and  to  the  cities 
that  are  forsaken,  which  became  a  prey  and  derision  to  the  residue 
of  the  heathen  that  are  round  about;  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Surely  in  the  fire  of  my  jealousy  have  I  spoken  against  the 
residue  of  the  heathen,  and  against  all  Idumea,  which  have  ap- 
pointed my  land  into  their  possesion  with  the  joy  of  all  their  heart, 
with  despiteful  minds,  to  cast  it  out  for  a  prey.  Prophesy  there- 
fore concerning  the  land  of  Israel,  and  say  unto  the  mountains, 
and  to  the  hills,  to  the  rivers,  and  to  the  valleys.  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God;  Behold,  I  have  spoken  in  my  jealousy  and  in  my  fury, 
because  ye  have  borne  the  shame  of  the  heathen:  Therefore  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  I  have  lifted  up  mine  hand,  Surely  the  heathen 
that  are  ^bout  you,  they  shall  bear  their  shame  (verses  1-7.) 


236  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

The  enemy  had  spoken  blasphemies  against  the  mountains 
of  Israel;  the  Lord  had  heard  the  arrogant  language  of 
Edom  (xxxv:12-13),  and  now  the  prophet  is  commanded  to 
address  the  personified  mountains  of  Israel  in  words  of 
consolation  and  assurance.  Previously  he  had  as  God's 
prophet  uttered  denunciations  against  the  mountains  and 
high  places  of  Israel  (vi:l-7),  but  now  after  the  time  of 
Israel's  chastisement  is  passed  and  the  dawn  of  their  restora- 
tion breaks,  the  Lord  turns  against  the  enemies  of  His 
people.  The  enemy  had  said  against  them  with  a  shout  of 
exultation:  "Aha!  even  the  ancient  high  places  are  ours  in 
possession."  Edom  and  other  nations  knew  that  the  Lord 
had  promised  to  Israel  the  land  for  their  possession.  They 
claimed  with  a  proud  taunt  Israel's  mountains  and  high 
places  as  their  possession,  and  thereby  ignored  God  and  His 
covenant  with  His  people.  And  so  it  is  that  the  nations 
have  forgotten  what  God  has  promised  to  Israel.  Their 
land  and  city  has  been  trodden  down  by  the  Gentiles. 
Gentiles  have  stretched  out  their  hands  to  possess  the 
mountains  of  Israel  and  occupied  the  land  which  by  covenant 
belongs  to  the  seed  of  Abraham.  When  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles  come  to  a  close  nations  will  once  more  attempt  to 
take  possession  of  Israel's  land  and  make  an  invasion. 
Then  the  Lord  will  arise  against  these  nations.  Of  this 
Ezekiel  speaks.  "Surely  in  the  fire  of  my  jealousy  have  I 
spoken  against  the  residue  of  nations,  and  against  all  Edom, 
which  have  appointed  my  land  unto  themselves  for  a  pos- 
session with  the  joy  of  all  their  heart,  with  despiteful  minds, 
to  cast  it  out  for  a  prey;  therefore  prophesy  concerning  the 
land  of  Israel,  and  say  unto  the  mountains  and  to  the  hills, 
to  the  watercourses  and  to  the  valleys,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Behold  I  have  spoken  in  my  jealousy  and  in  my  fury, 
because  ye  have  borne  the  shame  of  the  nations.  Therefore 
thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  I  have  lifted  up  mine  hand,  saying 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  237 

Surely  the  nations  that  are  round  about  you,  they  shall  bear 
their  shame." 

Jehovah  speaks  of  Israel's  land  as  **'my  land,"  and  in  holy 
indignation  and  jealous  for  His  people  and  their  land,  He 
arises  now  to  put  judgment  and  shame  upon  the  nations 
which  reproached  Him.  He  lifts  His  hand  in  token  of  an  oath, 
that  He  will  do  this  now.  His  time  has  come  to  be  merciful 
to  His  people  and  His  land,  and  that  will  mean  judgment  for 
their  enemies  (See  Zech.  i:  13-19).  And  that  time  is  not 
far  distant  now  when  God  will  turn  to  His  ancient  people  in 
mercy  and  put  judgment  upon  the  nations  which  have 
forgotten  God  and  ignored  His  infallible  word  and  revealed 
purposes. 

II.    The  Promised  Return  to  the  Land. 

But  ye,  O  mountains  of  Israel,  ye  shall  shoot  forth  your  branches, 
and  yield  your  fruit  to  my  people  of  Israel;  for  they  are  at  hand  to 
come.  For,  behold,  I  am  for  you,  and  I  will  turn  unto  you,  and  ye 
shall  be  tilled  and  sown:  And  I  will  multiply  men  upon  you,  all  the 
house  of  Israel,  even  all  of  it:  and  the  cities  shall  be  inhabited,  and 
the  wastes  shall  be  builded:  And  I  will  multiply  upon  you  man  and 
beast;  and  they  shall  increase  and  bring  fruit:  and  I  will  settle  you 
after  your  old  estates,  and  will  do  better  unto  you  than  at  your 
beginnings:  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  Yea,  I  will 
cause  men  to  walk  upon  you,  even  my  people  Israel;  and  they  shall 
possess  thee  and  thou  shalt  be  their  inheritance,  and  thou  shalt 
no  more  henceforth  bereave  them  of  men.  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
God;  Because  they  say  unto  you.  Thou  land  devourest  up  men, 
and  hast  bereaved  thy  nations;  Therefore  thou  shalt  devour  men 
no  more,  neither  bereave  thy  nations  any  more,  saith  the  Lord 
God.  Neither  will  I  cause  men  to  hear  in  thee  the  shame  of  the 
heathen  any  more,  neither  shalt  thou  bear  the  reproach  of  the  people 
any  more,  neither  shalt  thou  cause  thy  nations  to  fall  any  more,  saith 
the  Lord  God   (verses  8-15). 

The  address  is  still  to  the  mountains  of  Israel.  These  are 
beautiful  words  which  Jehovah,  to  comfort  His  people,  puts 
into  the  lips  of  the  prophet.     The  mountains,  so  long  barren, 


238  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

would  shoot  forth  their  branches  and  prepare  fruit  for  His 
people.  Then  their  imminent  return  is  announced:  "For 
they  are  at  hand  to  come."  The  near  fulfillment  was  the 
return  of  the  remnant  from  the  Babylonian  captivity.  But 
that  does  not  exhaust  this  prophecy;  there  is  a  greater  home- 
coming in  store  for  Israel,  when  they  will  be  gathered  out  of 
all  countries  to  possess  the  land  and  multiply  there  as  they 
never  did  in  all  their  past  history.  "And  I  will  multiply 
men  upon  you  (the  mountains),  all  the  house  of  Israel,  even 
all  of  it."  No  one  could  claim  that  this  promise  found  its 
fulfillment  when  a  small  portion  of  the  house  of  Judah  re- 
turned from  Babylon.  Here  it  speaks  of  all  the  house  of 
Israel.  And  the  waste  places  shall  also  be  builded  again  as 
promised  by  former  prophets,  for  instance  in  Isaiah  lviii:12, 
lxi:4;  Amos  ix:ll,  12,  14.  Still  greater  is  the  promise,  "I  will 
cause  you  to  be  inhabited  after  the  former  estate,  and  will 
do  better  unto  you  than  at  your  beginnings,  and  ye  shall  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord."  Such  was  not  the  case  when  they  re- 
turned from  Babylon.  And  what  blessing  will  come  to 
them,  when  at  last  God  does  all  these  things!  "Yea,  I  will 
cause  men  to  walk  upon  you  (the  mountains),  even  my 
people  Israel;  and  they  shall  possess  thee,  and  thou  shalt  be 
their  inheritance  and  thou  shalt  no  more  henceforth  bereave 
them  of  men."  All  would  be  changed.  Jeremiah  had 
announced,  "I  will  bereave  them  of  children,  I  will  destroy 
my  people  since  they  return  not  from  their  ways"  (Jere. 
XV :7).  When  the  Lord  keeps  His  promise  and  brings  them 
back,  their  sorrows  will  be  at  an  end.  What  are  the  sorrows 
and  suffereings  of  the  Babylonian  captivity  in  comparison 
with  the  sufferings  which  befell  them  in  the  year  70  and 
throughout  this  dispensation!  And  the  last  page  of  Israel's 
sorrow  is  yet  to  be  written.  All  is  preparing  now  for  the 
great  tribulation,  and  then  there  will  be  the  intervention 
from  above,  and  the  coming  Lord  will  wipe  away  all   their 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  239 

tears.  Four  times  the  prophet  uses  the  words  "any  more" 
(verses  14-15),  "Neither  shalt  thou  bear  the  reproach  of  the 
peoples  any  more,  neither  shalt  thou  cause  thy  nation  to 
stumble  any  more,  saith  the  Lord  God."  Inasmuch  as 
there  is  reproach  now  upon  that  nation  and  they  are  a  re- 
proach, and  that  they  have  stumbled,  we  know  that  these 
words  still  await  their  fulfillment. 

III.  Israel's  Past  Sins  and  Chastisement. 

Moreover  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man, 
when  the  house  of  Israel  dwelt  in  their  own  land,  they  defiled  it  by 
their  own  way  and  by  their  doings:  their  way  was  before  me  as  the 
unclcanness  of  a  removed  woman.  Wherefore  I  poured  my  fury 
upon  them  for  the  blood  that  they  had  shed  upon  the  land,  and  for 
their  idols  wherewith  they  had  polluted  it:  And  I  scattered  them 
among  the  nations,  and  they  were  dispersed  through  the  countries: 
according  to  their  way  and  according  to  their  doings  I  judged  them. 
And  when  they  had  entered  unto  the  nations,  whither  they  went, 
they  profaned  my  holy  name,  when  they  said  to  them,  These  are  the 
people  of  the  Lord,  and  are  gone  forth  out  of  his  land  (verses 
16-20). 

It  needs  no  lengthy  comment  to  explain  this  paragraph. 
The  whole  history  of  that  nation  bears  witness  to  it.  They 
were  an  unclean,  a  stiffnecked  nation;  a  nation  which  rejected 
His  word,  yea.  Himself,  and  worshipped  idols.  But  their 
crowning  sin  came  when  they  delivered  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  their  own  Messiah-King,  into  the  hands  of  the 
Gentiles.  His  blood  was  shed  upon  the  land  and  they  cried, 
"His  blood  be  upon  us  and  upon  our  children."  And  as  a 
result  they  were  scattered  among  the  nations,  where  they 
also  profaned  His  holy  name  (Isaiah  lii:5;  Rom.  ii:24). 
What  then  has  Israel  done  to  deserve  blessing?  The  rest  of 
the  chapter  answers  this  question. 

IV.  Restoration  and  Blessing  Through  Grace. 

But  I  had  pity  for  mine  holy  name,  which  the  house  of  Israel  had 
profaned  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  went.      Therefore  say 


240  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

unto  the  house  of  Israel,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  do  not  this 
for  your  sakes,  O  house  of  Israel,  but  for  mine  holy  name's  sake, 
which  ye  have  profaned  among  the'heathen,  whither  ye  went.  And 
I  will  sanctify  my  great  name,  which  was  profaned  among  the 
nations,  which  ye  have  profaned  in  the  midst  of  them;  and  the 
nations  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  saith  the  Lord  God,  when 
I  shall  be  sanctified  in  you  before  their  eyes.  For  I  will  take  you 
from  among  the  nations,  and  gather  you  out  of  all  countries,  and  will 
bring  you  into  your  own  land.  Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water 
upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean;  from  all  your  filthiness,  and  from 
all  your  idols,  will  I  cleanse  you.  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you, 
and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you:  and  I  will  take  away  the 
stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  an  heart  of  flesh. 
And  I  will  put  my  spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments,  and  do  them.  And  ye 
shall  dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to  your  fathers;  and  ye  shall  be 
my  people,  and  I  will  be  your  God.  I  will  also  save  you  from  all 
your  undeannesses;  and  I  will  call  for  the  corn  and  will  increase  it, 
and  lay  no  famine  upon  you.  And  I  will  multiply  the  fruit  of 
the  tree,  and  the  increase  of  the  field,  that  ye  shall  receive  no  more 
reproach  of  famine  among  the  nations.  Then  shall  ye  remember 
your  own  evil  ways,  and  your  doings  that  were  not  good,  and  shall 
loathe  yourselves  in  your  own  sight  for  your  iniquities  and  for  your 
abominations.  Not  for  your  sakes  do  I  this,  saith  the  Lord  God,  be 
it  known  unto  you :  be  ashamed  and  confounded  for  your  own  ways, 

0  house  of  Israel.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  In  the  day  that  I  shall 
have  cleansed  you  from  all  your  iniquities  I  will  also  cause  you  to 
dwell  in  the  cities,  and  the  wastes  shall  be  builded.  And  the  desolate 
land  shall  be  tilled,  whereas  it  lay  desolate  in  the  sight  of  all  that 
passed  by.  And  they  shall  say,  This  land  that  was  desolate  is 
become  like  the  garden  of  Eden;  and  the  waste  and  desolate  and 
ruined  cities  are  become  fenced,  and  are  inhabited.  Then  the 
heathen  that  are  left  round  about  you  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord 
build  the  ruined  places,  and  plant  that  that  was  desolate;  I  the  Lord 
have  spoken  it,  and  I  will  do  it.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  I  will 
yet  for  this  be  enquired  of  by  the  house  of  Israel,  to  do  it  for  them; 

1  will  increase  them  with  men  like  a  flock.  As  the  holy  flock,  as 
the  flock  of  Jerusalem  in  her  solemn  feasts;  so  shall  the  waste  cities 
be  filled  with  flocks  of  men:  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord  (verses  21-38). 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  241 

The  Lord's  own  name,  His  holy  name,  which  they  pro- 
faned among  the  nations,  is  what  moves  Him  to  act.  He 
tells  them  that  it  was  not  for  their  sakes,  for  any  merit  in 
them,  that  He  would  do  the  things  which  His  prophet  is 
about  to  announce.  It  was  His  own  name  as  the  Lord  Who 
is  a  covenant  keeping  God,  the  holy  name  they  had  so 
miserably  outraged,  which  He  must  vindicate.  The  nations 
were  to  know,  and  will  yet  know,  that  He  is  God.  He  will 
sanctify  His  great  name,  and  declares,"!  shall  be  sanctified  in 
you  before  their  eyes."  But  how.''  When  in  infinite  grace 
He  deals  with  this  nation  and  manifests  Himself  as  the 
loving,  covenant-keeping,  grace-bestowing  Jehovah.  And 
that  will  be  when  He,  Who  died  for  that  nation  on  the  cross 
(John  xii:50-53)  Whom  they  rejected.  Whose  name  they  have 
profaned,  returns  from  His  glory-place.  Then  will  His  name 
be  sanctified  in  all  the  earth,  when  in  wondrous  grace  He 
lifts  His  nation  from  the  dunghill  of  shame  and  want  and 
brings  them  back  to  their  own  land. 

This  is  so  marvelously  promised  by  Ezekiel.  The  char- 
acteristic word  in  verses  23-38  is  the  word  "I  will."  It  is  the 
word  of  sovereign  grace.  Eighteen  times  Jehovah  saith 
what  He  will  do.  They  are  the  "I  wills"  of  Israel's  hope 
and  coming  glory. 

He  will  gather  them  from  among  the  nations  and  all 
countries  and  bring  them  back  to  their  own  land.  Only  a 
superficial  expositor  can  speak  of  a  fulfillment  when  they 
returned  from  Babylon.  But  even  if  this  were  so,  though  it 
is  not,  the  verses  which  follow  have  never  been  fulfilled  in 
the  past.  The  cleansing  of  the  nation  is  next  promised:  "I 
will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you  and  ye  shall  be  clean."* 
It  refers  us  to  the  water  mixed  with  the  ashes  of  the  red-heifer, 


*It  is   wrong  to   apply   this  sentence   to  water-baptism   and   claii 
for  it  sprinkling  as  the  proper  mode  of  baptism. 


242  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

which  was  sprinkled  with  a  hyssop  on  the  unclean,  typifying 
the  precious  blood  of  Christ  in  its  cleansing  power  (Heb.  ix: 
13-14;  x:22).  Thus  when  the  people  of  Israel  believe  on 
Him  and  look  upon  Him  Whom  they  pierced  (Zech.  xii:10), 
they  will  be  cleansed.  "In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  foun- 
tain opened  to  the  house  of  David  and  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalem  for  sin  and  for  uncleaness"  (Zech.  xiii:l).  Then 
follows  the  promise  of  the  new  birth  of  Israel.  "A  new 
heart  will  I  also  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within 
you."  The  stony  heart  is  to  be  taken  away  and  they  will 
receive  a  heart  of  flesh.  Our  Lord  had  this  passage  in  mind 
when  He  talked  with  Nicodemus  about  the  new  birth. 
Nicodemus,  the  teacher  in  Israel,  was  ignorant  of  the  fact 
that  this  new  birth  for  Israel  is  necessary  in  order  to  be  in 
that  coming  kingdom  and  to  receive  its  blessings.  Therefore 
the  Lord  said  to  him,  "If  I  have  told  you  earthly  things 
(about  Israel  and  the  new  birth  as  the  way  into  the  kingdom) 
and  ye  believe  not,  how  shall  ye  believe  if  I  tell  you  of 
heavenly  things.'"'  (the  heavenly  blessings  which  follow  His 
sacrificial  death). 

Then  follow  still  greater  restoration  promises  and  bless- 
ings, which  Israel  never  possessed  in  their  past  history  nor 
to-day.  He  will  be  their  God  and  they  will  be  His  people. 
There  will  be  an  increase  in  the  corn;  famine  will  disappear 
forever.  The  desolate  land  will  be  tilled  so  that  those 
who  pass  through  the  land  will  say:  "This  land  that  was 
desolate  is  become  like  the  Garden  of  Eden  and  the  waste 
and  desolate  and  ruined  cities  are  become  fenced,  and  are 
inhabited."  When  this  restoration  and  blessing  through 
grace  is  accomplish  then  will  they  remember  their  evil 
ways  and  loathe  themselves  for  their  iniquities  and  abomina- 
tions. This  will  be  their  national  repentance.  It  is  not 
repentance  first,  but  the  Lord  will  be  first  gracious  and 
merciful  to  them,  and  as  a  result  they  will  remember  their 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  243 

ways  of  evil  and  humble  themselves  before  Him.  And  the 
nations  round  about  will  know  that  He  who  has  done  all 
this  is  Jehovah.  All  these  blessed  things  will  surely  be 
accomplished  in  the  day  when  the  Lord  arises  and  has 
mercy  upon  Zion  (Ps.  cii:13) :  "I,  the  Lord  have  spoken,  and 
I  will  do  it." 

THE  VISION  OF  THE  DRY  BONES. 
Chapter  xxxvii. 

The  future  restoration  or  Israel,  both  their  national  and 
spiritual  revival,  which  the  Lord  announced  in  the  previous 
chapter,  is  now  shown  to  the  prophet  in  a  remarkable  vision. 
The  vision  emphasizes  once  more  what  Jehovah  in  grace 
will  do  for  them.  "And  I  will  put  my  Spirit  in  you,  and  ye 
shall  live,  and  I  will  place  you  in  your  own  land"  (verse  14). 
The  second  half  of  this  chapter  predicts  the  reunion  of  Judah 
and  Israel  represented  by  two  sticks,  which  are  joined 
together. 

I.    The  Vision  of  the  Dry  Bones  and  their  Resurrection. 

The  hand  of  the  Lord  was  upon  me,  and  carried  me  out  in  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord,  and  set  me  down  in  the  midst  of  the  valley  which 
was  full  of  bones.  And  caused  me  to  pass  by  them  round  about: 
and,  behold,  there  were  very  many  in  the  open  valley;  and,  lo,  they 
luere  very  dry.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  can  these  bones 
live?  And  I  answered,  O  Lord  God,  thou  knowest.  Again  he  said 
unto  me,  Prophesy  upon  these  bones,  and  say  unto  them,  O  ye  dry 
bones,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto 
these  bones.  Behold,  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter  into  you,  and  ye 
shall  live:  And  I  will  lay  sinews  upon  you,  and  will  bring  up  flesh 
upon  you,  and  cover  you  with  skin,  and  put  breath  in  you,  and  ye 
shall  live;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord.  So  I  prophesied 
as  I  was  commanded:  and  as  I  prophesied,  there  was  a  noise,  and 
behold  a  shaking,  and  the  bones  came  together,  bone  to  his  bone. 
And  when  I  beheld,  lo,  the  sinews  and  the  flesh  came  up  upon  them, 
and  the  skin  covered  them  above:  but  there  was  no  breath  in  them. 
Then  said  he  unto  me,  Prophesy  unto  the  wind,  prophesy,  son  of 


244  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

man,  and  say  to  the  wind,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Come  from  the 
four  winds,  O  breath,  and  breathe  upon  these  slain,  that  they  may 
live.  So  I  prophesied,  as  he  commanded  me,  and  the  breath  came 
into  them,  and  they  lived;  and  Then  he  said  unto  me.  Son  of  man, 
these  bones  are  the  whole  house  of  Israel:  behold,  they  say.  Our 
bones  are  dried,  and  our  hope  is  lost:  we  are  cut  off  for  our  parts. 
Therefore  prophesy  and  say  unto  them.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God; 
Behold,  O  my  people,  I  will  open  your  graves,  and  cause  you  to  come 
up  out  of  your  graves,  and  bring  you  into  the  land  of  Israel.  And  ye 
shall  know  that  I  atn  the  Lord,  when  I  have  opened  your  graves, 
O  my  people,  and  brought  you  up  out  of  your  graves.  And  shall  put 
my  Spirit  in  you,  and  ye  shall  live,  and  I  shall  place  you  in  your 
own  land:  then  shall  ye  know  that  I  the  Lord  have  spoken  it,  and 
performed  it,  saith  the  Lord    (verses  1-14). 

Once  more  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  upon  the  prophet,  and 
he  is  carried  out  in  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  and  is  set  down  in  the 
midst  of  a  valley.  The  valley  was  full  of  bones  and  they 
were  very  dry.  These  dry  bones,  disjointed  and  bleached, 
picture  in  the  vision  the  national  and  spiritual  condition 
of  the  whole  house  of  Israel.  There  was  no  life  in  these 
bones  and  all  is  hopeless  as  they  themselves  are  concerned. 
Then  the  Lord  spoke  to  His  prophet,  "Son  of  man,  can  these 
bones  live?"  And  the  prophet  answered,  "O  Lord  God, 
Thou  knowest!"  Ezekiel  knowing  the  impossibility  that 
these  bones  could  ever  live,  puts  the  question  of  their  living 
upon  the  Lord.  With  Him  nothing  is  impossible.  He 
then  is  commanded  to  prophesy:  "O  ye  dry  bones,  hear 
the  Word  of  the  Lord.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  these 
bones.  Behold,  I  will  cause  breath  to  enter  into  you  and  ye 
shall  live."  And  there  is  to  be  a  complete  reconstruction 
of  these  dry  bones.  Sinews  and  flesh  is  to  cover  them  and 
the  breath  of  life  is  to  return.  And  the  prophet  speaks 
the  word  and  there  was  a  noise  (literal:  voice)  and  a  com- 
motion, bone  came  to  bone,  sinews  and  flesh  came  into  view 
and  skin  covered  them;  but  they  were  still  dead,  as  no 
breath  was  in  them.     Again  the  prophet  is  commanded  to 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  245 

prophecy,  to  utter  the  word:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath,  and  breathe  upon  these 
slain,  that  they  may  live."  No  sooner  had  the  prophet 
spoken  the  word  as  commanded,  when  suddenly  the  breath 
came  into  them,  and  they  lived  and  stood  upon  their  feet, 
an  exceeding  great  army.  Then  the  Lord  explains  the 
vision,  so  that  we  are  not  left  in  doubt  of  what  is  meant  by  It. 
The  dry  bones  are  typical  of  the  whole  house  of  Israel;  they 
themselves  confess  "our  bones  are  dried,  and  our  hope  is 
lost;  we  are  cut  oif  for  our  parts."  Thus  saith  the  Lord  in 
answer  to  their  despairing  confession,  what  the  vision  so 
strikingly  foreshadows,  "I  will  open  your  graves  and  cause 
you  to  come  up  out  of  your  graves  and  bring  you  into  the 
land  of  Israel,  .  .  .  and  shall  put  my  Spirit  in  you, 
and  ye  shall  live,  and  I  shall  place  you  in  your  own  land." 
The  national  resuscitation  of  the  whole  house  of  Israel, 
the  restoration  to  their  own  land  and  the  accompanying 
spiritual  revival  (though  the  latter  does  not  fully  come  into 
view  here)  is  the  meaning  of  the  vision.  It  may  be  used  in 
application*  in  different  ways,  to  illustrate  certain  truths, 
but  the  true  and  only  interpretation  is  the  one  which  is 
given  by  the  Lord  in  verses  11-14.  But  there  is  an  erroneous 
interpretation  of  a  serious  nature  which  is  widely  taught 
and  believed  among  many  Christians.  Because  "graves" 
are  mentioned,  besides  the  dry  bones  and  their  resurrection, 
it  is  being  taught  that  the  vision  means  physical  resurrec- 
tion. Systems,  like  Millennial  Dawnism  alias  International 
Bible  Student  Association  and  others,  which  teach  the  so- 
called  larger  hope,  a  second  chance  fort  he  impenitent  dead, 


*We  heard  once  a  Baptist  preacher  speak  on  this  vision,  and  he 
used  the  dry  bones  as  a  picture  of  the  dead  members  of  his  own  de- 
nomination, and  spoke  of  them  as  "the  dry  bones."  A  Methodist, 
Presbyterian,  etc,  might  do  the  same. 


246  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

the  restitution  of  the  lost,  teach  that  all  the  Israelites  who 
have  died  in  their  sins  will  be  broiight  out  of  their  graves 
and  then  be  saved.  They  use  this  vision  to  confirm  this 
invention.  An  advocate  of  this  theory  declared  that  all 
the  Christ-hating  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  who  lived  when 
our  Lord  was  on  earth  would  be  raised  up  when  He  comes 
and  then  believe  on  Him.  Matthew  xxiii:39  was  used  by 
him  as  an  argument.  These  restitution  teachers  also  teach 
that  inasmuch  as  Israel  will  have  a  second  chance  when 
they  are  raised  from  the  dead,  the  Gentile  dead  will  share 
also  in  the  same.  It  needs  no  argument  to  refute  this. 
The  Word  of  God  teaches  a  twofold  resurrection:  a 
first  resurrection  and  a  second  resurrection,  a  resurrection 
of  the  just  and  a  resurrection  of  the  unjust  (John  v:28-29). 
According  to  the  above  theory  there  would  have  to  be  a 
third  resurrection,  a  resurrection  for  a  second  chance  and 
ultimate  salvation  of  those  who  died  in  their  sins.  Of  such 
a  resurrection  the  Bible  knows  nothing. 

In  this  vision  of  the  dry  bones  physical  resurrection  is 
used  as  a  type  of  the  national  restoration  of  Israel.  It  is 
used  in  the  same  way  in  Daniel  xii:2.  In  that  passage 
the  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  is  symbolical  of  their 
national  condition.  And  when  their  national  sleep  ends 
there  will  be  an  awakening.*  When  we  read  here  in  Ezekiel 
of  graves  it  must  not  be  taken  to  mean  literal  graves,  but 
the  graves  are  symbolical  of  the  nation  as  being  buried 
among  the  Gentiles.  If  these  dry  bones  meant  the  physical 
dead  of  the  nation,  how  could  it  be  explained  that  they 
speak  and  say,  "Our  bones  are  dried  up,  and  our  hope  is 
lost.'"'  The  same  figure  of  speech  is  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Of  the  prodigal  it  is  said,  "For  this  my  son  was 
dead,  and  is  alive  again"  (Luke  xv:24).     Yet  he  was  not 


♦See  "Exposition  of  Daniel,"  by  A.  C.  G.,  page  200. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  247 

physically  dead,  nor  was  he  made  alive  physically.  There- 
fore, this  vision  has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  a  physical 
resurrection.  The  late  Dr.  Bullinger,  whose  erroneous 
suggestions  have  led  astray  some,  also  taught  that  the 
vision  of  the  dry  bones  includes  resurrection  as  well  as 
restoration. 

Equally  bad  is  that  spiritualizing  method  which  takes  a 
vision  like  this,  as  well  as  the  hundreds  of  promises  of  a 
coming  restoration,  and  applies  it  all  to  the  church,  ignoring 
totally  the  claims  of  Israel  and  their  promised  future  of 
glory.    This  is  the  general  trend  of  commentators. 

They  say  that  all  these  visions  and  promises  were  exhausted 
in  the  return  of  the  remnant  from  Babylon  (less  than  43,000 
souls)  and  the  spiritual  and  larger  fulfilment  is  now  going 
on  in  the  church.  This  method  is  evil,  for  it  robs  the  Chris- 
tian of  the  true  key  which  unlocks  the  prophetic  Word. 

"Their  interpretation  of  prophecy  in  particular  is  vitiated 
by  this  fatal  mistake,  which  practically  razes  the  hopes  of 
Israel  from  the  Bible  and  lowers  ours  to  a  mere  succession 
to  their  hope  and  inheritance  with  somewhat  better  light 
and  privilege.  It  is  a  part  of  the  first  and  widest  and  most 
tenacious  corruption  of  Christianity  against  which  the 
apostle  fought  so  valiantly.  And  it  comes  in  the  more 
insidiously,  because  it  seems  to  those  under  its  influence 
that  they  are  of  all  men  the  most  distant  from  the  false 
brethern  Paul  denounced.  To  their  minds  the  truest  guard 
against  Judaizing  is  to  deny  that  the  Jews  will  ever  be  rein- 
stated as  a  people,  or  be  restored  consequently  to  their  own 
land.  All  the  predictions  of  future  blessedness  and  glory 
to  Israel  they  turn  over  to  Christendom  now  or  to  the  church 
in  glory.  Most  pernicious  error!  For  this  is  exactly  to 
Judaize  the  Christian  and  the  church  by  making  them 
simply  follow  and  inherit  from  Israel.  The  truth  is  thus 
swamped;     Israel's   bright   prospects    are   denied;    Gentile 


248  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

conceit  is  engendered;  and  the  Christian  is  rendered  worldly, 
instead  of  being  taught  his  place  of  blessing  on  high  in 
contrast  with  Israel's  on  the  earth."* 

II.    The  Reunion  of  the  Nation  and  their  King. 

The  word  of  the  Lord  came  again  unto  mc,  saying,  Moreover, 
thou  Son  of  man,  take  thee  one  stick,  and  write  upon  it.  For  Judah, 
and  for  the  children  of  Israel  his  companions;  then  take  another 
stick,  and  write  upon  it.  For  Joseph,  the  stick  of  Ephraim,  and  /or 
all  the  house  of  Israel  his  companions:  And  join  them  one  to  another 
into  one  stick;  and  they  shall  become  one  in  thine  hand.  And 
when  the  children  of  thy  people  shall  speak  unto  thee,  saying, 
Wilt  thou  not  shew  us  what  thou  meanest  by  these?  Say  unto  them, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  take  the  stick  of  Joseph, 
which  is  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,  and  the  tribes  of  Israel  his  fellows, 
and  will  put  them  with  him,  even  with  the  stick  of  Judah,  and  make 
them  one  stick,  and  they  shall  be  one  in  mine  hand.  And  the  sticks 
whereon  thou  writest  shall  be  in  thine  hand  before  their  eyes.  And 
say  unto  them,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  will  take  the 
children  of  Israel  from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  be  gone, 
and  I  will  gather  them  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their  own 
land;  and  I  will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel;  and  one  king  shall  be  king  to  them  all:  and 
they  shall  be  no  more  two  nations,  neither  shall  they  be  divided 
into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at  all:  Neither  shall  they  defile 
themselves  any  more  with  their  jdols,  nor  with  their  detestable 
things,  nor  with  any  of  their  transgressions:  but  I  will  save  them 
out  of  all  their  dwelling-places,  wherein  they  have  sinned  and  will 
cleanse  them:  so  shall  they  be  my  people,  and  I  will  be  their  God. 
And  David  my  servant  shall  be  king  over  them;  and  they  all  shall 
have  one  shepherd:  they  shall  also  walk  in  my  judgments,  and 
observe  my  statutes,  and  do  them.  And  they  shall  dwell  in  the 
land  that  I  have  given  unto  Jacob  my  servant  wherein  your  fathers 
have  dwelt;  and  they  shall  dwell  therein,  even  they,  and  their  chil- 
dren, and  their  children's  children,  for  ever:  and  my  servant 
David  shall  be  their  prince  for  ever.  Moreover  I  will  make  a 
covenant  of  peace  with  them;  it  shall  be  an  everlasting  covenant 
with  them:    and  I  will  place  them,  and  multiply  them,  and  will  set 

*Wm.  Kelly. 


THE   PROPHET    EZEKIEL.  249 

my  sanctuary  in  the  midst  of  them  for  evermore.  My  tabernacle 
also  shall  be  with  them;  yea,  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be 
my  people.  And  the  heathen  shall  know  that  I  the  Lord  do  sanctify 
Israel,  when  my  sanctuary  shall  be  in  the  midst  of  them  for  ever- 
more (verses  15-28). 

The  prophet  is  next  commanded  to  demonstrate  another 
coming  event  for  God's  ancient  people  by  a  symbolical 
action.  He  was  to  take  a  stick  and  write  on  it  "for  Judah 
and  for  the  children  of  Israel  his  companions."  On  the 
second  stick,  he  was  to  write,  "for  Joseph,  the  stick  of 
Ephraim,  and  for  all  the  house  of  Israel  his  companions." 
He  was  then  to  join  the  two  sticks  so  that  they  became  one 
in  his  hand.  It  denotes  the  reunion  of  the  house  of  Judah 
with  the  house  of  Israel.  The  sad  division  of  the  nation 
will  end  and  both  will  be  in  His  hand  one,  symbolical  of  the 
royal  rod  or  sceptre,  which  will  be  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
in  the  midst  of  His  redeemed  people.  The  Lord  will  do 
all  this.  "Behold  I  will  take  the  children  of  Israel  from 
among  the  nations  whither  they  be  gone,  and  will  gather 
them  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their  own  land. 
And  I  will  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel;  and  one  king  shall  be  king  to  them 
all;  and  they  shall  no  more  be  two  nations,  neither  shall  they 
be  divided  into  two  kingdoms  any  more  at  all."  The  house 
of  Israel  never  returned  from  the  captivity;  only  a  remnant 
of  Judah  came  back.  Since  then  they  have  been  termed 
"the  lost  tribes,"  though  this  term  is  incorrect,  for  the 
Epistle  of  James  is  addressed  to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
Nothing  is  lost  with  God.  They  are  hidden  rather,  and  the 
time  will  come  when  the  engima  of  the  two  tribes  will  be 
solved.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  locate  them  but  all  have 
failed.  The  Anglo-Israel  theory  (that  England  and  America 
are  the  lost  tribes)  is  so  ridiculous  and  fantastic  that  it 
merits  not  even  an  investigation.     God  has  kept  track  of 


250  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

them,  and  when  this  promised  restoration  takes  place  they 
will  be  brought  to  light.  Then,  reunited  as  they  were  under 
David  and  Solomon,  they  will  have  one  King  over  them. 
This  King  is  foreshadowed  by  both  David  and  his  son 
Solomon.  As  King  he  is  called,  "David,  my  servant,"  who 
will  be  the  One  Shepherd.  And  "my  servant  David,  their 
prince  forever."  It  is  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  son  of 
David,  the  true  and  greater  Solomon,  the  Prince  of  Peace. 
How  obvious  it  is  that  all  this  does  not  mean  the  church. 
The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church  in  glory, 
but  He  is  also  the  King  of  Israel.  When  the  restoration 
takes  place  the  angelic  message  finds  its  blessed  fulfillment: 
"The  Lord  God  shall  give  unto  Him  the  throne  of  His  father 
David,  and  He  shall  reign  over  the  house  of  Jacob  forever; 
and  of  His  Kingdom  there  shall  be  no  end"  (Luke  i:32-37). 
But  how  can  anyone  believe  that  the  words  of  promise 
given  through  Ezekiel  have  no  future  meaning  for  the  seed 
of  Abraham.^  Has  Israel  ever  been  restored  as  announced 
in  these  words.''  Have  they  ever  been  saved  as  promised 
in  verse  23.''  Have  they  ever  walked  as  a  nation  in  perfect 
obedience,  as  stated  in  the  words,  "They  shall  also  walk  in 
My  judgments,  and  observe  my  statutes  and  do  them." 
And  verse  25  promises  an  abiding  dwelling  in  their  land 
which  at  this  time  they  do  not  yet  possess.  It  is  the  sanctu- 
ary of  the  Lord  set  up  in  their  midst. 

Only  when  our  Lord  returns  will  all  this  be  accomplished. 
Then  will  it  be  true,  "My  tabernacle  also  shall  be  with  them; 
yea,  I  will  be  their  God  and  they  shall  be  My  people." 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  251 

GOG  AND  MAGOG 

Chapter  xxxviii. 

The  great  restoration  vision  of  the  preceding  chapter 
is  followed  by  another  great  prophecy  concerning  the  last 
enemy  of  Israel,  and  how  the  Lord  will  deliver  His  people 
and  deal  in  judgment  with  the  invading  hordes.  This  pro- 
phecy is  in  chapters  xxxviii  and  xxxix.  These  two  chapters 
are  of  great  interest  and  demand  a  careful  study;  they  have 
been  misunderstood  by  many.  Frequently  the  Gog  and 
Magog  have  been  identified  with  the  final  revolt  at  the 
close  of  the  millennium,  when  Satan  is  loosed  for  a  little 
season  (Rev.  xx:7-9).  The  text  shows  that  this  is  incorrect. 
The  invasion  which  Ezekiel  describes  takes  place  in  the 
beginning  of  the  millennium;  the  invasion  of  God  and  Magog 
in  Revelation  is  postmillennial.  Ezekiel's  invasion  takes 
place  from  the  North  and  the  nations  are  designated;  the 
nations  which  gather  under  Satan  at  the  close  of  the  mil- 
lennium are  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth.  The 
invaders  in  Ezekiel's  vision  fall  on  the  mountains  of  Israel, 
while  those  assembled  after  the  millennium  are  devoured 
by  fire  from  heaven. 

Others  have  identified  these  invading  enemies  with  the 
nations  gathered  in  the  revived  Roman  Empire.  This  also 
cannot  be,  for  we  find  that  the  nations  Ezekiel  names  are 
outside  of  the  territory  of  the  restored  Roman  Empire. 
We  have  to  turn  to  the  text  itself  to  find  the  correct  meaning 
of  this  prophecy. 

I.    The  Invasion  of  Israel's  Land. 

And  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  unto  me,  saying,  Son  of  man,  set 
thy  face  against  Gog,  the  land  of  Magog,  the  chief  prince  of 
Meshech  and  Tubal,  and  prophesy  against  him,  And  say.  Thus  saith 
the  Lord  God :  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Gog,  the  chief  prince  of 
Meshech  and  Tubal:  And  I  will  turn  thee  back,  and  put  hooks  into 


252  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

thy  jaws,  and  I  will  bring  thee  forth,  and  all  thine  army,  horses 
and  horsemen,  all  of  them  clothed  with  all  sorts  of  armour,  even 
a  great  company  with  bucklers  and  shields,  all  of  them  handling 
swords:  Persia,  Ethiopia,  and  Libya  with  them;  all  of  them  with 
shield  and  helmet:  Gomer,  and  all  his  bands;  the  house  of  Togar- 
mah  of  the  north  quarters,  and  all  his  bands:  and  many  people  with 
thee.  Be  thou  prepared,  and  prepare  for  thyself,  thou,  and  all  thy 
rompany  that  are  assembled  unto  thee,  and  be  thou  a  guard  unto 
them.  After  many  days  thou  shalt  be  visited:  in  the  latter  years 
thou  shalt  come  into  the  land  that  is  brought  back  from  the  sword, 
and  is  gathered  out  of  many  people,  against  the  mountains  of 
Israel,  which  have  been  always  waste:  but  it  is  brought  forth  out 
of  the  nations,  and  they  shall  dwell  safely,  all  of  them.  Thou  shalt 
ascend  and  come  like  a  storm,  thou  shalt  be  like  a  cloud  to  cover 
the  land,  thou,  and  all  thy  bands,  and  many  people  with  thee. 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  It  shall  also  come  to  pass,  that  at  the 
same  time  shall  things  come  into  thy  mind,  and  thou  shalt  think 
an  evil  thought:  And  thou  shalt  say,  I  will  go  up  to  the  land  of 
unwalled  villages;  I  will  go  to  them  that  are  at  rest,  that  dwell 
safely,  all  of  them  dwellings  without  walls,  and  having  neither  bars 
nor  gates.  To  take  a  spoil,  and  to  take  a  prey;  to  turn  thine  hand . 
upon  the  desolate  places  that  are  now  inhabited,  and  upon  the  people 
that  are  gathered  out  of  the  nations,  which  have  gotten  cattle  and 
goods,  that  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the  land.  Sheba  and  Dedan,  and 
the  merchants  of  Tarshish,  with  all  the  young  lions  thereof,  shall 
say  unto  thee,  Art  thou  come  to  take  a  spoil?  hast  thou  gathered 
thy  company  to  take  a  prey?  to  carry  away  silver  and  gold,  to  take 
away  cattle  and  goods,  to  take  a  great  spoil?  (verses  1-13). 

The  first  question  which  confronts  us  in  giving  an  exposi- 
tion of  these  verses  is,  When  does  this  enemy  fall  into 
Israel's  land.''  At  what  time  does  this  invasion  take  place.'' 
We  find  the  answer  in  the  text.  The  statement  is  made  in 
verse  eight  that  Gog  and  Magog  and  the  other  nations 
with  them  invade  the  land  "that  is  brought  back  from  the 
sword,  and  is  gathered  out  of  many  people;"  they  come 
"against  the  mountains  of  Israel,  which  have  always  been 
waste;  but  it  is  brought  forth  out  of  the  nations,  and  they 
shall  dwell  safely,  all  of  them."     In  verse  eleven  the  evil 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  253 

purpose  of  the  Invader  is  made  known.  He  says,  "I  will 
go  up  to  the  land  of  unwalled  villages,  I  will  go  to  them 
that  are  at  rest,  that  dwell  safely,  all  of  them  dwelling  with- 
out walls  and  having  neither  bars  nor  gates."  He  comes 
"upon  the  people  that  are  gathered  out  of  the  nations, 
which  have  gotten  cattle  and  goods,  that  dwell  in  the  midst 
of  the  land"  (verse  12).  From  all  this  we  learn  that  the 
invasion  takes  place  at  the  time  when  the  Lord  has  brought 
back  His  people  and  resumed  His  relationship  with  the 
remnant  of  Israel. 

The  invasion  will  happen  some  time  after  the  beastly 
empire  with  its  beasthead  (the  revived  Roman  empire,  in 
its  final  ten  kingdom  form  and  the  clay,  with  the  little 
horn  as  leader  (Dan.  vii;  Rev.  xiii:l-10)  and  the  false  pro- 
phet, the  personal  Antichrist  (Rev.  xiii:ll,  etc.)  have 
been  dealt  with  in  judgment  (Rev.  xix:19-20).  The  stone 
out  of  heaven  has  then  fallen  upon  the  feet  of  the  great 
dream  image  of  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  as  far  as  the  Western 
confederated  world  power  is  concerned  it  is  now  ended.  But 
other  nations  gather  now  for  an  assault.  It  is  a  Northern 
confederacy  which  sweeps  southward  to  invade  the  land 
as  Antiochus  Epiphanes  did  in  the  past,  as  well  as  the 
Assyrian  in  the  days  of  Isaiah.  These  final  invading  hosts, 
under  the  leadership  of  a  powerful  king,  come  like  a  storm, 
and  like  a  cloud  to  cover  the  land. 

In  verse  17  we  read  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Art 
thou  he  of  whom  I  have  spoken  in  old  times  by  my  servants 
the  prophets  of  Israel,  which  prophesied  in  those  days  for 
many  years  that  I  would  bring  thee  against  them?"  By 
the  way,  in  these  words  we  have  a  very  clear  statement 
concerning  the  prophets  of  God.  They  all  were  the  mouth- 
piece of  Jehovah;  He  has  spoken  through  them.  According 
to  this  verse  other  prophets  prophesied  of  the  same  enemy. 
3ome  expositors  have  stated  their  inability  to  find  a  single 


254  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

prophecy  elsewhere  which  would  confirm  Ezekiel's  vision 
and  prophecy. 

We  believe  the  foe,  of  whom  Isaiah  speaks  as  the  Assyrian, 
foreshadows  this  one  coming  with  his  hordes  from  the  North. 
The  Assyrian  in  the  days  of  Isaiah,  who  threatened  to 
cover  the  land  like  a  cloud,  was  Sennacherib.  How  the 
Lord  dealt  with  him  by  wiping  out  his  proud  army  with  a 
single  stroke  is  known  to  every  reader  of  the  Bible,  But  he 
also  foreshadows  the  final  Assyrian,  the  last  King  of  the 
North.  He  is  described  in  Isaiah  x.  A  significant  state- 
ment is  made  in  that  chapter  as  to  the  time  when  the  Lord 
will  deal  with  this  Assyrian  of  the  future.  It  is  this  "Where- 
fore it  shall  come  to  pass  that  when  the  Lord  has  performed 
His  whole  work  upon  Mount  Zion  and  on  Jerusalem,  I  will 
punish  the  fruit  of  the  stout  heart  of  the  King  of  Assyria 
and  the  glory  of  his  high  looks"  (verse  12).  When  the 
Lord  has  performed  His  work  in  judgment  and  in  mercy 
upon  Mount  Zion  and  in  behalf  of  Israel  and  their  enemies, 
then  He  will  also  punish  the  last  invader  and  spoiler  of  His 
people,  the  one  foreshadowed  by  the  Assyrian. 

The  Antichrist,  who  opposed  the  heavenly  rights  and 
glory  of  Christ,  has  then  already  been  overthrown  by  the 
brightness  of  His  coming;  and  next  this  last  enemy  who 
opposeth  the  earthly  rights  of  the  King  of  kings  will  also 
meet  his  defeat.  Notice  that  in  the  same  chapter  of 
Isaiah  the  Lord  comforts  His  people  in  view  of  the  invader, 
showing  thereby  that  He  is  with  them  and  on  their  side. 
"Therefore,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  hosts,  O  my  people 
that  dwelleth  in  Zion,  be  not  afraid  of  the  Assyrian"  (Isa. 
x:24). 

The  prophet  Micah  bears  a  similar  testimony  to  the 
same  person.  In  chapter  v  we  have  a  prophetic  announce- 
ment of  the  birth  of  Christ  in  Bethlehem  Ephrata.  We  also 
read  of  His  rejection:  "they  shall  smite  the  judge  of  Israel 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  255 

with  a  rod  upon  the  cheek."  Then  the  nation  is  seen  as 
rejected — given  up,  set  aside — till  Israel  brings  forth  in 
travail  pains  a  godly  remnant  during  the  end  of  the  age. 
Then  the  Lord  returns.  "And  He  shall  stand  and  rule 
in  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  in  the  majesty  of  the  name  of 
the  Lord  His  God;  and  they  shall  abide,  for  now  shall  He  be 
great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth"  (verse  4). 

When  this  has  come  to  pass  then  the  Assyrian  appears  on 
the  scene,  invading  the  land.  But  Micah  tells  us:  "And 
this  man  (Christ)  shall  be  the  peace  when  the  Assyrian  shall 
come  into  the  land"  (verse  5).  All  this  confirms  the  story  of 
Ezekiel  xxxviii.  The  reader  may  also  turn  to  Isaiah  xxxiii, 
to  Joel  and  find  there  a  description  of  the  same  invading 
forces  which  Ezekiel  describes  and  their  judgment. 

But  some  will  find  a  difficulty  here.  If  the  Lord  has 
returned  and  His  people  Israel  are  being  gathered  to  dwell 
in  safety  in  their  own  land,  if  the  Lord  has  revealed  His 
glory,  how  is  it  possible  that  such  an  invasion  can  take 
place .^  Is  not  Satan  to  be  bound  at  once  after  Christ  has 
come  back?  And  if  Satan  is  put  into  the  pit  of  the  abyss 
to  seduce  the  nations  no  more,  how  is  it  that  these  nations 
are  so  blind  to  come  up  into  Immanuel's  land  to  challenge 
the  earthly  rights  of  the  King  of  kings.'' 

Satan  will  be  bound  for  a  thousand  years,  but  the  last 
act  by  which  he  attempts  to  oppose  Christ  will  be  through 
Gog  and  Magog.  The  evil  thought  the  leader,  the  prince  of 
Rosh,  thinks  (verse  10)  is  inspired  by  Satan.  He  stands 
behind  this  wild  company  of  nations  and  blinds  them  as  he 
blinded  the  kings  of  the  Roman  Empire  and  their  armies 
to  make  war  against  Him  that  sat  upon  the  horse.  (Rev. 
xix:19).  But  then  Satan  has  spent  his  last  arrow.  He  has 
completely  failed  and  is  then  put  into  the  prison  for  a 
thousand  years  to  seduce  the  nations  no  more.     His  last 


256  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

attempt  was  through  the  prince  of  Rosh  with  the  nations 
mentioned  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter. 

And  when  the  Lord  looses  him,  after  the  thousand  years, 
he  is  still  the  same  old  devil,  as  he  always  will  be  forever  and 
ever;  once  more  he  gets  a  Gog  and  Magog,  this  time  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  to  put  up  his  very  last  fight. 
How  that  will  end  we  know  from  Revelation  (xx:7-9). 

Still  another  question  is  raised,  and  this  one  in  connection 
with  the  judgment  of  the  nations,  as  revealed  by  our  Lord 
in  Matthew  xxv:31,  etc.  After  the  Lord  has  returned  He 
will  receive  His  own  throne  and  begin  to  judge  the  nations 
He  finds  then  upon  the  earth.  That  this  is  not  what  has 
been  termed  the  final — universal  judgment  of  the  quick  and 
the  dead — must  be  apparent  to  all  who  divide  the  Word  of 
Truth  rightly.  It  is  the  judgment  of  the  living  nations.  Now 
the  question  is  asked,  if  the  Lord  judges  at  once  all  living 
nations  when  He  comes,  how  is  it  that  these  nations  can 
invade  the  land?  Why  were  they  not  also  consigned  to  the 
place  of  eternal  punishment.^     Why  are  they  still  unjudged.'' 

We  do  not  believe  that  the  judgment  of  the  living  nations 
takes  place  on  a  single  day.  Such  a  judgment  of  necessity 
covers  a  longer  period  of  time.  Nation  after  nation  will 
have  to  come  up  for  judgment.  This  will  consume  con- 
siderable time.  There  is  no  question  the  millennial  reign 
of  our  Lord  will  have  two  sides.  There  is  first  the  Davidic 
aspect.  He  will  begin  to  reign  first  as  David  did;  His 
people  are  with  Him  and  blessed,  but  all  their  enemies  are 
not  yet  subdued  and  overcome.  He  will  have  to  rule  first 
with  a  rod  of  iron.  And  then  when  this  final  enemy  is  dealt 
with,  He  begins  to  reign  as  Prince  of  Peace,  foreshadowed 
in  the  Solomonic  reign.  Gog  and  Magog,  etc.,  complete 
and  end  the  judgment  of  the  nations.  They  are  the  last 
enemies  to  disappear. 

After  we  have  ascertained  the  time  when  this  prophecy 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  257 

concerning  Gog  and  Magog  will  be  accomplished,  we  inquire 
next  who  this  final  enemy  is.  "And  the  word  of  the  Lord 
came  unto  me,  saying.  Son  of  Man,  set  thy  face  against  Gog, 
the  land  of  Magog,  the  prince  of  Rosh,  Meshech,  and  Tubal, 
and  prophesy  against  him,  and  say,  Thus  saith  the  Lord 
Jehovah:  Behold  I  am  against  thee,  O  Gog,  prince  of 
Rosh,  Meshech  and  Tubal.  And  I  will  turn  thee  back, 
and  put  hooks  into  thy  jaws,  and  I  will  bring  thee  forth, 
and  all  thine  army,  horses  and  horsemen,  all  of  them  tho- 
roughly equipped,  a  great  assemblage  with  targets  and 
shields,  all  of  them  handling  swords.  _  Persia,  Cush,  and 
Phut  with  them,  all  of  them  with  shield  and  helmet;  Gomer 
and  all  his  bands;  the  house  of  Togormah  from  the  utter- 
most north,  and  all  his  bands — many  peoples  with  thee." 
Here  then  we  have  a  confederacy  of  nations.  The  leader 
is  the  Prince  of  Rosh  (not  as  the  authorized  version  has  it 
"the  chief  prince"),  of  Meshech  and  Tubal.  This  prince  is 
the  head  of  the  confederacy,  and  with  him  allied  are  Persia, 
Cush,  Phut,  Gomer  and  Togormah.  They  come  out  of 
the  north,  or,  as  it  is  in  Hebrews,  "out  of  the  uttermost 
north"  (verse  15).  Inasmuch  as  the  Prince  of  Rosh  is 
addressed  in  verse  3  as  Gog,  we  take  it  that  Gog  is  the  name 
given  to  this  prince  and  leader  of  these  nations.  His  dwelling 
place  is  in  the  land  of  Magog.  We  know  from  Genesis  x:2 
that  Magog  was  the  second  son  of  Japheth.  Gomer,  Tubal 
and  Meshech  were  also  sons  of  Japheth;  Togormah  was  a 
grandson  of  Japheth,  being  the  third  son  of  Gomer.  Magog's 
land,  was  located  in,  what  is  called  today,  the  Caucasus  and 
the  adjoining  steppes.  And  the  three  Rosh,  Meshech  and 
Tubal  were  called  by  the  ancients  Scythians.  They  roamed 
as  nomads  in  the  country  around  and  north  of  the  Black 
and  the  Caspian  Seas,  and  were  known  as  the  wildest  bar- 
barians. We  learn  from  this  that  the  invading  forces,  which 
fall  into  Israel's  land  in  the  future,  when  Israel  has  been 


258  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

regathered,  come  from  a  territory  north  of  Palestine,  which 
today  is  in  the  hands  of  Russia.  And  here  we  call  attention 
to  the  prince,  this  northern  leader,  or  king,  who  is  the  head 
of  all  these  nations.  He  is  the  prince  of  Rosh.  Careful 
research  has  established  the  fact  that  the  progenitor  of  Rosh 
was  Tiraz  (Gen.  x:2)  and  that  Rosh  is  Russia.  All  students 
of  Prophecy  are  agreed  that  this  is  the  correct  meaning  of 
Rosh.  The  prince  of  Rosh,  means,  therefore,  the  prince  or 
king  of  the  Russian  empire.  But  he  also  is  in  control  of 
Meshech  and  Tubal,  which  are  reproduced  in  the  modern 
Moscow  and  Tobolsk.*  Russia,  we  may  well  conclude  from 
this,  will  furnish  the  man  who  will  lead  this  confederacy  of 
nations.  We  write  this  at  a  time  when  Russia  is  passing 
through  horrors  upon  horrors.  A  revolution  changed  the 
autocratic  government  into  a  democracy  and  that  given 
way  to  anarchy,  prodnced  by  the  satanic  treathery  of  Ger- 
many. From  what  is  written  in  this  chapter  we  learn  that 
Russia  will  ultimately  return  to  the  old  regime  and  will  once 
more  become  a  monarchy  to  fulfill  her  final  destiny  as  made 
known  in  this  sublime  prophecy.  Well  known  it  is  that 
Russia  has  been  in  the  past  the  most  pronounced  and  bitterest 
enemy  of  the  Jewish  people.  What  she  passes  through 
today  is  but  a  fulfillment  of  what  the  Lord  has  spoken: 
"I  will  curse  them  that  curse  thee."  Today  the  Jews  in 
Russian  may  have  bright  hopes  of  getting  their  rights  and 
complete  emancipation  at  last.  For  a  time  this  may  come 
to  pass,  but  ultimately  Russia  will  turn  against  them  and 
like  Pharaoh  did,  when  Israel  had  left  his  domain,  so  this 
coming  King  of  the  North,  the  prince  of  Rosh,  when  Israel 
is  back  in  the  land,  will  turn  against  them. 

With  him  come  the  other  nations.     Persia,  which  is  even 
now  in  part  occupied  by  Russia,  will  finally  be  a  vassal  to 


*The  Septuagint  translates,  "Mesoch  and  Thobel." 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  259 

this  prince  of  Rosh.  Ethiopia  and  Phut  are  also  in  this 
confederacy.  There  also  is  Gomer  and  all  its  bands.  Gomer, 
says  Delitsch,  "is  most  probably  the  tribe  of  the  Cimmerians, 
who  dwell,  according  to  Herodotus,  on  the  Maeotis,  in  the 
Taurian  Chersonesus,  and  from  whom  are  descended  the 
Cumri  or  Cymry  in  Wales  and  Britain,  whose  relation  to 
the  Germanic  Cimbri  is  still  in  obscurity."  Valuable 
information  is  given  in  the  Talmud;  Gomer  is  there  stated 
to  be  the  Germani,  the  Germans.  That  the  descendants 
of  the  Gomer  moved  northward  and  established  them- 
selves in  parts  of  Germany  seems  to  be  an  established 
fact.  All  this  is  of  much  interest.  Germany  did  not  belong 
to  the  Roman  empire,  at  least  the  greater  part  of  Germany 
was  never  conquered  by  Rome.  She  will  therefore  not 
participate  in  the  Western  confederacy.  Will  she  then 
become  united  to  Russia  and  march  under  the  prince  of 
Rosh  into  the  land  of  Israel.''  We  cannot  be  sure  about  all 
these  things.  This,  however,  we  know,  that  a  powerful 
confederacy  of  nations,  under  the  leadership  of  the  prince 
of  Rosh,  Meshech  and  Tubal,  will  come  up  against  Im- 
manuel's  land,  when  Israel  has  been  restored  and  dwells 
safely. 

II.    The  Disastrous  Defeat  of  the  Invaders. 

Therefore,  son  of  man,  prophesy  and  say  unto  God,  Thus  saith  the 
Lord  God:  In  that  day  when  my  people  of  Israel  dwelleth  safely, 
shalt  thou  not  know  it?  And  thou  shalt  come  from  thy  place  out 
of  the  north  parts,  thou,  and  many  people  with  thee,  all  of  them 
riding  upon  horses,  a  great  company,  and  a  mighty  army:  And  thou 
shalt  come  up  against  my  people  of  Israel,  as  a  cloud  to  cover  the 
land;  it  shall  be  in  the  latter  days,  and  I  will  bring  thee  against 
my  land,  that  the  heathen  may  know  me,  when  I  shall  be  sanctified 
In  thee,  O  Gog,  before  their  eyes.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God: 
Art  thou  he  of  whom  I  have  spoken  in  old  time  by  my  servants 
the  prophets  of  Israel,  which  prophesied  in  those  days  for  many 
years  that  I  would  bring  thee  against  them?     And  it  shall  come  to 


260  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

pass  at  the  same  time  when  Gog  shall  come  against  the  land  of 
Israel,  saith  the  Lord  God,  that  my  fury  shall  come  up  in  my  face. 
For  in  my  jealousy  and  in  the  fire  of  my  wrath  have  I  spoken. 
Surely  in  that  day  there  shall  be  a  great  shaking  in  the  land  of 
Israel:  So  that  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and  the  fowls  of  the  heaven, 
and  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and  all  creeping  things  that  creep  upon 
the  earth,  and  all  the  men  that  are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth, 
shall  shake  at  my  presence,  and  the  mountains  shall  be  thrown  down, 
and  the  steep  places  shall  fall,  and  every  wall  shall  fall  to  the 
ground.  And  I  will  call  for  a  sword  against  him  throughout  all  my 
mountains,  saith  the  Lord  God:  every  man's  sword  shall  be  against 
his  brother.  And  I  will  plead  against  him  with  pestilence  and  with 
blood;  and  I  will  rain  upon  him,  and  upon  his  bands,  and  upon 
the  many  people  that  are  with  him,  an  overflowing  rain,  and  great 
hailstones,  fire  and  brimstone.  Thus  will  I  magnify  myself,  and 
sanctify  myself;  and  I  will  be  known  in  the  eyes  of  many  nations, 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord   (verses  14-23). 

The  awful  fate  of  the  invaders  is  now  prophetically 
announced.  The  prophet  is  commanded  to  address  Gog. 
They  know  that  Israel  dwelleth  safely  and  they  come  to 
take  the  prey,  to  carry  away  silver  and  gold,  cattle  and 
goods  and  a  great  spoil  (verse  13).  The  Lord  permits  it 
all  so  that  He  might  be  sanctified  and  magnified  by  the 
manifestation  of  His  power  in  judgment,  so  that  through 
this  judgment  the  nations  might  know  Him  (verses  16,  23). 
When  they  come  into  the  land  then  His  fury  will  come  into 
His  face.  "For  in  my  jealousy  and  in  the  fire  of  my  wrath 
have  I  spoken,  surely  in  that  day  there  shall  be  a  great 
shaking  in  the  land  of  Israel."  The  next  chapter  gives  the 
prophecy  of  the  judgment  upon  Gog  in  detail. 

THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE  INVADERS. 

Chapter  xxxix. 

Once  more  the  prophet  is  commanded  to  prophesy  against 

this  final  invader  of  Israel's  land  and  to  describe  the  judgment 

which  falls  upon  the  Northern  army.    This  chapter  concludes 

the  prophecy  of  the  last  enemy  of  Israel;    the  concluding 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  261 

chapters  of  this  book  mention  no  longer  enemies,  nor  Is- 
rael's apostasy.  They  are  taken  up  with  the  glory  of  the 
restoration  of  the  nation  and  the  great  millennial  temple, 
the  construction,  the  order  of  worship,  etc. 

I.    The  Judgment  and  Destruction  of  Invading  Gog. 

Therefore,  thou  son  of  man,  prophesy  against  Gog,  and  say,  Thus 
saith  the  Lord  God;  Behold,  I  am  against  thee,  O  Gog,  the  chief 
prince  of  Meshech  and  Tubal:  And  I  will  turn  thee  back,  and  leave 
but  the  sixth  part  of  thee,  and  will  cause  thee  to  come  up  from 
the  north  parts,  and  will  bring  thee  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel: 
And  I  will  smite  thy  bow  out  of  thy  left  hand,  and  will  cause  thine 
arrows  to  fall  out  of  they  right  hand.  Thou  shalt  fall  upon  the 
mountains  of  Israel,  thou  and  all  thy  bands,  and  the  people  that  is 
with  thee:  I  will  give  thee  unto  the  ravenous  birds  of  every  sort, 
and  to  the  beasts  of  the  field  to  be  devoured.  Thou  shalt  fall 
upon  the  open  field:  for  I  have  spoken  it,  saith  the  Lord  God. 
And  I  will  send  a  fire  on  Magog,  and  among  them  that  dwell 
carelessly  in  the  isles;  and  they  shall  knov/  that  I  am  the  Lord. 
So  will  I  make  my  holy  name  known  in  the  midst  of  my  people 
Israel;  and  I  will  not  let  them  pollute  my  holy  name  any  more: 
and  the  heathen  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  in 
Israel.  Behold,  it  is  come,  and  it  is  done,  saith  the  Lord  God; 
this  is  the  day  whereof  I  have  spoken.  And  they  that  dwell  in  the 
cities  of  Israel  shall  go  forth,  and  shall  set  on  fire  and  burn  the 
weapons,  both  the  shields  and  the  bucklers,  the  bows  and  the 
arrows,  and  the  handstaves,  and  the  spears,  and  they  shall  burn 
them  with  fire  seven  years;  so  that  they  shall  take  no  wood  out  of 
the  field,  neither  cut  down  any  out  of  the  forests;  for  they  shall 
burn  the  weapons  with  fire;  and  they  shall  spoil  those  that  spoiled 
them,  and  rob  those  that  robbed  them,  saith  the  Lord(  God 
(verses  1-10). 

Jehovah  announces  now  their  complete  judgment  and 
destruction.  The  invading  hordes  are  permitted  to  come 
upon  the  mountains  of  Israel,  and  like  the  Assyrian  of  old, 
"Shake  his  hand  against  the  mount  of  the  daughter  of 
Zion,  the  hill  of  Jerusalem"  (Is.  x:32).  Then  the  Lord 
will  act  in  behalf  of  His  people.    Let  us  remember  that  the 


262  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Lord  is  then  with  His  people.  His  glory  is  with  them  and 
they  have  found  rest  and  dwell  in  peace.  The  blinding  power 
of  Satan,  who  uses  Gog  and  his  companions  in  a  final  effort 
to  dispute  the  authority  of  the  King  of  Kings,  is  demonstrated 
by  these  nations,  who,  led  by  the  Prince  of  Rosh  (Russia) 
invade  the  land.  The  nations  and  their  kings  forming  the 
Western  Confederacy  were  equally  blinded  when,  previously 
to  this  final  attempt,  they  made  war  against  the  Lord 
(Rev.  xix:19).  Jehovah  speaks  His  "I  will;"  it  is  the  sove- 
reign "I  will"  in  judgment.  As  He  spoke  to  His  people 
Israel  the  "I  will"  of  sovereign  grace  (chapter  xxxvi),  so 
now  He  speaks  the  word  which  seals  the  doom  of  Israel's 
last  enemy.  "And  I  will  turn  thee  back  and  lead  thee  on* 
and  will  cause  thee  to  come  up  from  the  sides  of  the  north, 
and  will  bring  thee  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel."  There 
the  invaders  are  to  be  smitten.  Upon  the  mountains  where 
the  Lord  led  them  and  permitted  them  to  come,  the  hordes 
shall  fall  and  their  carcasses  will  be  given  to  the  ravenous 
beasts  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  field.  And  those  who  helped 
Gog  in  the  wicked  endeavor,  who  dwell  securely  in  the 
isles,  who  probably  assisted  them  with  ships  and  in  other 
ways,  will  also  be  judged.  Fire  will  be  sent  upon  Magog. 
It  will  be  a  sweeping  judgment.  As  a  result  of  what  takes 
place  will  be  the  vindication  of  His  holy  Name  and  both 
Israel  and  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  know  Him  in  that 
day,  "And  my  holy  name  will  I  make  known  in  the  midst 
of  my  people  Israel;  neither  will  I  suffer  my  holy  name  to 
be  profaned  any  more;  and  the  nations  shall  know  that  I 
am  the  Lord,  the  Holy  One  in  Israel."  And  what  an 
assuring  statement  is  added:    "Behold,  it  cometh,  it  shall 


*This  is  the  more  satisfactory  rendering.  The  marginal  reading, 
"Strike  thee  with  six  plagues"  or  "draw  thee  back  with  a  hook  of  six 
teeth"  is  incorrect. 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  263 

be  done,  saith  the  Lord  God;   this  is  the  day  whereof  I  have 
spoken." 

The  weapons  the  invading  hordes  left  behind  will  be  used 
for  firewood  by  Israel  for  seven  years.  It  seems  the  in- 
vaders carried  mostly  wooden  instruments.  Perhaps  the 
preceding  wars  exhausted  the  metals  so  that  they  had  to 
resort  to  weapons  made  of  wood.  Israel  shall  then  spoil 
those  that  spoiled  them  and  rob  those  that  robbed  them. 

II.    The  Burial  of  the  Slain. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day  that  I  will  give  unto  Gog  a 
place  there  of  a  grave  in  Israel,  the  valley  of  the  passengers  on  the 
east  of  the  sea;  and  it  shall  stop  the  passengers;  and  there  shall  they 
bury  Gog  and  all  his  multitude;  and  they  shall  call  it  The  valley 
of  Hamon-gog.  And  seven  months  shall  the  house  of  Israel  be 
burying  of  them,  that  they  may  cleanse  the  land.  Yea,  all  the 
people  of  the  land  shall  bury  them;  and  it  shall  be  to  them  a  renown 
the  day  that  I  shall  be  glorified,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  they 
shall  sever  out  men  of  continual  employment,  passing  through  the 
land  to  bury  with  the  passengers  those  that  remain  upon  the  face 
of  the  earth,  to  cleanse  it;  after  the  end  of  seven  months  shall 
they  search.  And  the  passengers  that  pass  through  the  land,  when 
any  seeth  a  man's  bone,  then  shall  he  set  up  a  sign  by  it,  till  the 
buriers  have  buried  it  in  the  valley  of  Hamon-gog.  And  also  the 
name  of  the  city  shall  be  Hamonah.  Thus  shall  they  cleanse  the 
land    (verses  11-16). 

Gog's  delusion  was  to  take  Israel's  land  for  a  possession. 
Territorial  aggrandizement  was  the  motive  of  the  invasion, 
besides  the  wicked  defiance  of  God;  but  instead  God  gives 
them  graves  in  the  land  of  Israel.  All  the  multitude  of 
Gog  will  be  buried  in  the  valley  of  the  passengers  of  the 
east  of  the  sea,  which  is  the  Dead  Sea,  outside  of  Israel's 
territory;  that  place  will  be  called  then  "the  valley  of 
Hamon-gog,"  which  means  "the  multitude  of  Gog."  Seven 
months  will  it  take  to  put  away  the  bodies  of  the  slain. 
And   those  who  pass   through  that  region  will  stop  there 


264  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

to  consider  the  judgment  of  the  Lord  which  was  executed 
upon  Gog.  It  will  be  a  solemn  memorial  of  what  God  hath 
done;  even  a  city  will  be  named  on  account  of  the  disaster 
which  has  come  upon  Gog,  the  city  Hamonah.  The  whole 
land  will  be  cleansed  of  the  defilement.  Whenever,  after 
the  seven  months,  one  who  passes  that  way  sees  a  man's 
bones,  he  shall  mark  the  place  with  a  sign  and  the  buriers 
will  put  these  bones  away  in  Hamon-gog. 

The  day  will  surely  come  when  all  these  events  will  come 
to  pass.  Much  may  be  obscure  at  this  time  but  God  will 
see  to  the  fulfilment  in  His  own  time.  As  we  have  shown 
in  the  exposition  of  the  previous  chapter,  Russia  is  the  leader 
of  this  final  assault.  In  these  significant  days  Russia  is 
in  the  grasp  of  anarchy.  What  will  be  the  outcome?  Will 
Russia  side  with  Germany.^  Will  the  two  form  a  strong 
confederacy  with  other  semi-oriental  and  oriental  nations.? 
Are  these  things,  as  seen  by  the  prophet  at  the  river  banks 
of  Chebar,  even  now  preparing.?  No  mortal  man  can  fore- 
cast the  immediate  future.  God  alone  knows  what  is 
about  to  come. 

in.    The  Sacrifice  of  Jehovah. 

And,  thou  son  of  man,  thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Speak  unto  every 
feathered  fowl,  and  to  every  beast  of  the  field.  Assemble  yourselves, 
and  come;  gather  yourselves  on  every  side  to  my  sacrifice  that  I  do 
sacrifice  for  you,  even  a  great  sacrifice  upon  the  mountains  of 
Israel,  that  ye  may  eat  flesh,  and  drink  blood.  Ye  shall  eat  the 
flesh  of  the  mighty,  and  drink  the  blood  of  the  princes  of  the  earth, 
of  rams,  of  lambs,  and  of  goats,  of  bullocks,  all  of  them  fatlings  of 
Bashan.  And  ye  shall  eat  fat  till  ye  be  full,  and  drink  blood  till 
ye  be  drunken,  of  my  sacrifice,  which  I  have  sacrificed  for  you. 
Thus  ye  shall  be  filled  at  my  table  with  horses  and  chariots,  with 
mighty  men,  and  with  all  men  of  war,  saith  the  Lord  God  (verses 
17-20). 

In  view  of  the  great  slaughter  executed  upon  Gog  and  his 
vast  army,  the  feathered  fowl  and  every  beast  of  the  field 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  265 

are  summoned  to  attend  the  sacrifice  which  Jehovah  has 
prepared  for  them  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel  They 
are  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  mighty,  and  drink  the  blood  of 
the  princes  of  the  earth,  which  are  compared  to  rams,  lambs, 
goats,  bullocks  and  the  fatlings  of  Bashan.  He  promised 
these  fowls  and  the  beasts  of  the  earth  a  feast,  which  will 
completely  satisfy  them.  The  table  which  is  spread  for 
them  is  His  table:   "Thus  shall  ye  be  filled  at  my  table." 

Rev.  xix:17,  18  contains  a  similar  scene.  It  is  the  great 
supper  of  God,  which  the  angel  standing  in  the  sun  announces, 
and  to  which  he  invites  the  fowls  in  the  midst  of  heaven. 
The  great  supper  in  Revelation  and  Jehovah's  sacrifice 
in  Ezekiel  are  not  the  same.  The  great  supper  of  God, 
that  awful  judgment  supper,  is  in  connection  v/ith  the  beastly 
empire  (the  Western  Confederacy)— the  kings  and  armies 
of  apostate  Christendom.  And  probably  for  this  reason  the 
fowls  in  the  midst  of  heaven  are  only  mentioned,  because 
Christendom  apostatized  from  the  heavenly  testimony 
of  Christianity.  These  kings  and  their  armies  refused  and 
rejected  completely  the  invitation  of  the  Lord  to  the  Gospel- 
supper  and  now  they  will  fall  in  the  hands  of  God  and  re- 
ceive their  reward  at  the  judgment  supper.  When  Gog 
falls  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel,  the  great  supper  of  God 
announced  in  Rev.  xix  has  already  been  executed. 

IV.    The  Future  of  Glory. 

And  I  will  set  my  glory  among  the  nations,  and  all  the  nations  shall 
see  my  judgment  that  I  have  executed,  and  my  hand  that  I  have 
laid  upon  them.  So  the  house  of  Israel  shall  know  that  I  am  the 
Lord  their  God  from  that  day  and  forward.  And  the  nations  shall 
know  that  the  house  of  Israel  went  into  captivity  for  their  iniquity: 
because  they  trespassed  against  me,  therefore  hid  I  my  face  from 
them  and  gave  them  into  the  hands  of  their  enemies:  so  fell  they 
all  by  the  sword.  According  to  their  uncleanness  and  according 
to  their  transgressions  have  I  done  unto  them,  and  hid  my  face  froni 


266  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

them.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord  God:  Now  will  I  bring  again 
the  captivity  of  Jacob,  and  have  mercy  upon  the  whole  house  of 
Israel,  and  will  be  jealous  for  my  holy  name;  after  that  they  have 
borne  their  shame,  and  all  their  trespasses  whereby  they  have 
trespassed  against  me,  when  they  dwelt  safely  in  their  land,  and 
none  made  them  afraid.  When  I  have  brought  them  again  from  the 
people,  and  gathered  them  out  of  their  enemies'  lands,  and  am  sanc- 
tified in  them  in  the  sight  of  m.any  nations;  then  shall  thy  know 
that  I  am  the  Lord  their  God,  which  caused  them  to  be  led  into 
captivity  among  the  heathen:  but  I  have  gathered  them  unto 
their  own  land,  and  have  left  none  of  them  any  more  there. 
Neither  will  I  hide  my  face  kny  more  from  them:  for  I  have  poured 
out  my  spirit  upon  the  house  of  Israel,  saith  the  Lord  God 
(verses  21—29). 

The  moral  effect  of  this  judgment  is  described  in  verses 
21-24.  The  Lord  will  then  establish  His  glory  among  the 
nations.  From  this  we  learn  that  the  glory  of  the  Lord  will 
be  made  known  world-wide  to  cover  the  earth  after  this  final 
invasion  has  come  to  pass,  and  this  last  judgment  of  nations 
has  been  executed.  The  nations  will  be  the  witnesses 
of  this  judgment.  Of  course  these  nations  are  those  who 
have  been  converted  and  are  embodied  in  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ.  And  then  the  Lord  is  vindicated  for  having  dealt 
with  Israel  as  He  did.  They  went  into  captivity — the  dis- 
persion among  all  the  nations  of  the  earth — on  account  of 
their  iniquities.  God  dealt  righteously  with  them  when 
on  account  of  their  transgressions  He  hid  His  face  from  them. 
All  God's  ways  are  righteous  and  in  that  day  all  His  deal- 
ings in  judgment  will  be  openly  justified. 

Then  comes  the  prophecy  of  the  bright  future  of  Israel. 
It  is  one  of  the  many  found  in  this  book  of  Ezekiel  and  the 
greater  number  in  the  other  prophetic  books.  The  cap- 
tivity of  Jacob  is  ended.  Mercy  will  be  bestowed  upon  the 
whole  house  of  Israel.  They  have  borne  their  shame; 
but  now  it  is  all  ended  through  the  mercy  of  the  Lord. 
He   will   bringjthem    again   from   the   peoples,    and  gather 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  267 

them  out  of  the  enemies'  lands  and  sanctify  them,  by  taking 
away  their  sins,  in  the  sight  of  many  nations.  None  will 
be  left  behind;  all  will  be  gathered  back.  It  is  next  to  in- 
conceivable that,  with  so  many  promises  in  the  Word  of 
God  as  to  Israel's  future  restoration  and  blessing,  that  the 
greater  part  of  professing  Christians  can  ignore  these  things 
and  refuse  to  believe  in  a  glorious  future  of  the  Jewish  race. 
The  last  verse  contains  an  important  statement.  The 
Lord  says  that  He  hides  His  face  no  more  from  them.  This 
in  itself  shows  that  all  this  is  not  yet  here;  for  still  He  hides 
His  face  from  them.  The  hiding  of  His  face  from  them  will 
be  no  more  when  His  Spirit  is  poured  upon  them.  "I  have 
poured  out  my  Spirit  upon  the  house  of  Israel,  saith  the 
Lord  God."  There  comes  then  a  time  when  the  house  of 
Israel,  the  literal  descendants  of  Abraham,  will  receive  an 
outpouring  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Such  is  also  the  message 
of  Joel,  in  which  restoration  and  spiritual  blessing,  through 
the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  are  blended  together  (Joel  ii).* 
We  call  attention  to  another  passage  which  should  be  linked 
with  the  statement  in  this  chapter.  Isaiah  xxxii:13-18 
is  a  very  striking  prophecy.  There  is  an  announcement  made 
first  of  all  concerning  the  judgment  which  is  to  fall  upon 
Israel's  land.  "Upon  the  land  of  my  people  shall  come 
up  thorns  and  briers;  yea,  upon  all  the  houses  of  joy  in 
the  joyous  city,"  etc.  But  this  is  not  to  last  forever.  An 
"until"  follows.  "Until  the  Spirit  be  poured  upon  us  from 
on  high."  This  is  the  same  future  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
of  God.  Up  to  now  it  has  not  been.  The  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  day  of  Pentecost  came  to  form  the  body  of  Christ, 
but  this  outpouring  in  connection  with  Israel  has  another 
significance.    We  read,  therefore,  in  the  above  passage  what 


*See  "The  Prophet  Joel,"  by  A.  C.  G.,  where  this  interesting  and 
important  chapter  is  explained  in  full. 


268  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

will  happen  when  this  outpouring  has  come  to  pass.  "And 
the  wilderness  be  a  fruitful  field,  and  the  fruitful  field  be 
counted  for  a  forest.  Then  judgment  shall  dwell  in  the 
wilderness,  and  righteousness  remain  in  the  fruitful  field. 
And  the  work  of  righteousness  shall  be  peace;  and  the  effect 
of  righteousness,  quietness  and  assurance  forever.  And 
my  poeple  shall  dwell  in  a  peaceable  habitation,  and  in 
sure  dwellings,  and  in  quiet  resting  places."  It  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  Kingdom  to  come,  when  Israel  has  found  rest  and 
when  all  the  earth  will  receive  the  blessing,  when  righteous- 
ness will  have  given  peace,  lasting  peace  to  the  world. 


THE  GROUND  PLAN  OF  THE  TEMPLE. 


\AW1L 


uyesr 


30i/rm\\    L 


GROUND  PLAN  OF  EZEKIEL'S  TEMPLE 


A.  The  Temple  House,  xli. 

B.  Altar  of  Burnt  Offering,  xliii :  13. 

C.  Inner  Court. 

D.  Gates  toilnner  Court,  xl  :  28. 

E.  Separate' Place,  vli :  10. 

F.  Hinder  Building,  xli  12. 

G.  Priest'sJKitchens,  xlvi :  19 


H.  Chambers  (or  Priests,  xlii:l. 

I.  Chambers,  xl :  44. 

K.  People's  Kitchen,  xlvi :  21-24. 

L.  Gates  into  Outer  Court,  xl :  6. 

M.  Pavement,  xl :  18. 

N.  Chambers  in  Outer  Court  (30)  xl :  17. 

O.  Outer  Court. 
—Temple  Stream 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  271 

THE    MILLENNIAL    TEMPLE    AND    ITS    WORSHIP. 
THE  LAND  AND  ITS  GLORY. 

Chapter  xl-xlviii. 

The  final  nine  chapters  of  this  book  form  the  climax 
of  the  great  prophecies  of  Ezekiel;  they  belong  to  the  most 
difficult  in  the  entire  prophetic  Word.  Once  more  the  hand 
of  the  Lord  rests  upon  the  seer  and  in  the  visions  of  God 
he  is  brought  into  the  land  of  Israel.  In  the  very  beginning 
of  this  grand  finale  we  learn  therefore  that  the  visions  con- 
cern the  land  of  Israel.  Let  us  remember  that  after  the  fall 
of  Jerusalem  had  been  announced  to  Ezekiel  (chapter 
X5xiii:21),  his  prophetic  utterances  and  visions  concern 
the  future  when  Israel  is  to  be  regathered  and  restored  to  the 
land.  The  previous  two  chapters  dealt  with  the  last  invasion 
of  the  land  of  Israel  and  the  complete  overthrow  of  Gog  and 
its  hordes.  The  vision  contained  in  this  last  section  follows 
after  Israel's  final  deliverance.  So  much  is  clear  as  to  the 
time  when  the  prophecies  of  these  eight  chapters  will  be 
accomplished.  They  have  not  been  fulfilled  in  the  past, 
certainly  not  in  the  feinnant  which  returned  under  Zeru- 
babbel  and  Ezra.  Nor  have  these  prophecies  been  fulfilled 
since  then.  All  is  future.  Only  when  the  Lord  has  gathered 
Judah  and  Israel,  when  He  has  established  His  glorious 
Kingdom  in  their  midst  and  delivered  His  people  and  the 
land  from  the  last  invader,  will  this  last  vision  of  Ezekiel 
become  history. 

This  disposes  then  at  once  of  the  different  modes  of  inter- 
pretation employed  by  so  many  expositors  of  this  book. 
These  are  the  following: 

L  The  theory  of  interpretation  which  looks  upon  the 
vision  of  these  chapters  as  fulfilled  in  the  return  of  the 
remnant  from  Babylon.  One  of  the  expositors  who  follows 
this  line  stated  that  these  visions  are  "an  ideal  representation 


272  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

of  the  Jewish  state  about  to  be  restored  after  the  captivity." 
It  does  not  need  much  argument  to  show  that  this  mode  of 
Interpretation  is  erroneous.  The  temple  which  the  remnant 
built  does  In  no  way  whatever  correspond  with  the  magni- 
ficent structure  which  Ezekiel  beheld  in  his  vision.  The 
fact  is,  if  this  temple  is  a  literal  building  (as  it  assuredly  is) 
It  has  never  yet  been  erected.  Furthermore,  it  Is  distinctly 
stated  that  the  glory  of  the  Lord  returned  to  the  temple 
and  made  His  dwelling  place  there,  the  same  glory  which 
Ezekiel  had  seen  departing  from  the  temple  and  from 
Jerusalem.  But  the  glory  did  not  return  to  the  second 
temple.  No  glory  cloud  filled  that  house.  And  furthermore 
no  high  priest  is  mentioned  in  the  worship  of  the  temple 
Ezekiel  describes,  but  the  Jews  after  their  return  from 
Babylon  had  high  priests  again.  Nor  can  the  stream  of 
healing  waters  flowing  from  the  temple  as  seen  by  Ezekiel 
be  in  any  way  applied  to  the  restoration  from  the  Babylonian 
captivity.  Expositors  who  follow  this  mode  of  interpreta- 
tion claim  that  all  has  been  fulfilled  and  that  there  is  nothing 
In  store  for  Israel  in  the  future.  It  is  the  most  superficial 
method  and  totally  wrong. 

2.  Another  interpretation  claims  that  the  whole  vision 
sprang  from  the  imagination  of  the  prophet.  That  all  Is 
an  ideal  description  of  something  which  the  expositor 
himself  Is  unable  to  define.  This  mode  of  interpretation 
needs  no  further  mention  and  answer. 

3.  The  third  Interpretation  of  these  chapters  is  the  alle- 
gorical which  spiritualizes  everything  and  claims  that  the 
Christian  church,  its  earthly  glory  and  blessing,  is  symbol- 
ically described  by  the  prophet.  This  Is  the  weakest  of  all 
and  yet  the  most  accepted.  But  this  theory  gives  no  exposi- 
tion of  the  text,  is  vague  and  abounds  In  fanciful  applications, 
while  the  greater  part    of    this   vision  Is  left  unexplained 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  273 

even  in  Its  allegorical  meaning,  for  it  evidently  has  no  such 
meaning  at  all.* 

The  true  interpretation  is  the  literal  one  which  looks  upon 
these  chapters  as  a  prophecy  yet  unfulfilled  and  to  be 
fulfilled  when  Israel  has  been  restored  by  the  Shepherd  and 
when  His  glory  is  once  more  manifested  in  the  midst  of  His 
people.  The  great  building  seen  in  his  prophetic  vision  will 
then  come  into  existence  and  all  will  be  accomplished. 

But  while  we  are  sure  of  the  strictly  future  fulfillment  of 
this  final  vision,  the  many  details  which  abound  in  these 
chapters  can  hardly  be  fully  interpreted  as  to  their  meaning. 
Much  is  obscure.  That  all  has  a  deeper  meaning  we  do 
not  doubt;  and  here  and  there  we  shall  offer  suggestions, 
but  many  things  we  shall  have  to  pass  over.  Before  we  turn 
to  the  text  and  open  up  the  contents  of  these  chapters,  a 
telescopic  view  of  the  whole  section  is  in  order  and  will  be 
helpful  in  our  further  studies. 

We  call  attention  first  to  the  three  main  divisions. 

I.  The  Description  of  the  Temple.     Chapters  xl-xlii. 

II.  The  Temple  Worship.     Chapters  xliii-xlvi. 

ni.  The  Vision  Concerning  the  Land.  Chapters  xlvii-xlviii. 

Generally  these  eight  chapters  are  called  "The  Temple 
Vision;"  but  there  is  much  more  than  the  vision  of  a  future 
temple.     We  shall  see  next  the  contents  of  these  chapters. 


*What  strange  applications  have  been  made  of  this  vision!  We  quote 
from  the  "New  Century  Bible"  which  says  concerning  this  temple:  "Its 
details  shed  a  light  nowhere  else  vouchsafed  to  us  upon  the  ideals  of 
Hebrew  art,  influenced  perhaps,  by  Babylonian  masterpieces,  yet 
entirely  national  and  Puritan;  and  they  embody  in  material  form 
Ezekiel's  sober  but  intense  conception  of  religion,  as  completely  as 
the  Gothic  cathedrals  translate  into  concrete  and  abiding  stone  and 
marble  the  soaring  visions  of  mediaeval  Christianity. "(!) 


274  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

I.     The  Description  of  the  Temple.     Chapters  xl-xlii. 

Chapter  xl. 

1.  The  Introduction.     Verses  1-4. 

2.  The  Gate  toward  the  East.     Verses  5-16. 

3.  The  Outer  Court.     Verses  17-27. 

4.  The  Inner  Court.     Verses  28-37. 

5.  The  Tables  for  the  Offerings  and  the  Chambers  for  the  Inner 

Court.     Verses  38-47. 

6.  The  Porch  of  the  House.     Verses  48-49. 

Chapter  xli. 

1.  The  Holy  Place.     Verses?l-2. 

2.  The  Most  Holy.     Verses53-4. 

3.  The  Side  Chambers.  Verses  5-11. 

4.  The  Hinder  Buildings  and  the  Measurement.     Verses  12-14. 

5.  Description  of  the  Interior  of  the  Temple.     Verses  15-26. 

Chapter  xlii. 

1.  The  Priest's  Chambers  in  the  Inner  Court.  Verses  1-14. 

2.  The  Final  Measurements.     Verses  15-20. 

II.     The  Temple  Worship.     Chapters  xliii-xlvi. 

Chapter  xliii. 

1.  The  Return  of  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  and  Filling  tlie    House- 

Verses  1-9. 

2.  The  Address  to  the  Nation.     Verses  10-12. 

3.  The  Dimensions  of  the  Altar.     Verses  13-17. 

4.  The  Offerings  to  be  Brought.     Verses  18-27. 

Chapter  xliv. 

1.  The  Outward  Eastern  Gate  for  the  Prince.     Verses  1-3. 

2.  The  Charge  concerning  the  Strangers  and  the  Rebellious  Tribes. 

Verses  4-14. 

3.  The  Charge  concerning  the  Priests,  the  Sons  of  Zadok.     Verses 

15-27. 

4.  The  Inheritance  of  the  Priests.     Verses  28-31. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  275 

Chapter  xlv. 

1.  The  Portions  of  the  Priests,  the  Levites,  of  the  whole  House  of 

Israel  and  the  Prince.     Verses  1-8. 

2.  Concerning  the  Prince.     Verses  9-17. 

3.  The  Feast  of  Passover  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles.  Verse  18-25, 

Chapter  xlvi. 

1.  The  Worship  of  the  Prince.     Verses  1-8. 

2.  Further  Instruction  as  to  Worship.     Verses  9-15. 

3.  Concerning  the  Prince,  his  Sons  and  his  Servants.    Verses  16-18. 

4.  A  Final  Description  of  places  in  the  Temple.     Verses  19-24. 

ni.    The  Vision  concerning  the  Land.  Chapter  xlvli-xlvlii. 

Chapter  xlvii. 

1.  The  Waters  of  Healing  from  the  Temple.     Verses  1-12. 

2.  Borders  of  the  Land.     Verses  13-21. 

3.  Concerning  the  Stranger  in  the  land.     Verses  22-23. 

Chapter  xlviii. 

1.  The  Portion  of  the  Seven  Tribes.     Verses  1-7. 

2.  The  Oblation  for  the  Sanctuary,  for  the  City  and  for  the  Prince. 

Verses  8-29. 

3.  The  Gates  of  the  City  and  its  new  Name.     Verses  30-35. 

THE  TEMPLE  VISION. 
Chapter  xL 

The  Temple  vision  is  first  recorded  and  the  opening  verses 
form  the  introduction. 

I.    The  Introduction  to  the  Temple  Vision. 

In  the  five  and  twentieth  year  of  our  captivity,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  year,  in  the  tenth  day  of  the  month,  in  the  fourteenth  year  after 
that  the  city  was  smitten,  in  the  selfsame  day  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  upon  me,  and  brought  me  thither.  In  the  visions  of  God 
brought  he  me  into  the  land  of  Israel,  and  set  me  upon  a  very  high 
mountain,  by  which  was  as  the  frame  of  a  city  on  the  south. 


276  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

And  he  brought  me  thither,  and,  behold,  there  was  a  man,  whose 
appearance  was  like  the  appearance  of  brass,  with  a  line  of  flax 
in  his  hand,  and  a  measuring  reed;  and  he  stood  in  the  gate. 
And  the  man  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  behold  with  thine  eyes, 
and  hear  with  thine  ears,  and  set  thine  heart  upon  all  that  I  shall 
shew  thee;  for  to  the  intent  that  I  might  shew  them  unto  thee  art 
thou  brought  hither;  declare  all  that  thou  seest  to  the  house  of 
Israel  (verses  1-4). 

The  time  of  the  vision  is  first  given  by  the  prophet.  It  was 
in  the  fourteenth  year  after  Jerusalem  had  been  smitten, 
which  would  make  the  date  572  B.  C.  The  beginning  of 
the  year  is  mentioned.  In  the  Hebrew  a  word  is  employed 
(Rosh  hashanah)  which  is  not  used  again  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. In  Exodus  xii  we  read  "this  month  shall  be  unto  you 
the  beginnings  of  months,  it  shall  be  the  first  month  of  the 
year  to  you."  (Abib  or  Nisan.)  Some  expositors  claim  that 
the  beginning  of  the  year  in  Ezekiel's  vision  was  in  the  month 
of  Nisan  commemorating  the  Passover.  But  it  may  mean 
the  seventh  month  (September-October)  the  feast  of 
trumpets  from  which  the  Jews  reckon  the  new  year,  and  the 
first  day  of  the  month  would  be  the  day  of  atonement. 
We  incline  to  the  latter  view.  Both  the  feast  of  trumpets  and 
the  day  of  atonement  foreshadow  the  regathering  of  Israel 
and  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins.  And  when  that  has  come 
then,  and  not  before,  Ezekiel's  glory  vision  will  be  accom- 
plished in  the  land.  We  also  read  in  Lev.  xxv:9:  "Then 
shalt  thou  cause  the  trumpet  of  jubilee  to  sound  on  the 
tenth  day  of  the  seventh  month,  in  the  day  of  atonement 
shall  ye  make  the  trumpet  sound  throughout  your  land." 
It  will  be  the. time  of  Israel's  jubilee  when  this  temple, 
Ezekiel  beheld,  will  be  erected  in  their  land.  Once  more 
the  hand  of  the  Lord  rested'  upon  the  prophet.  It  is  the 
seventh  time  that  this  happened  to  Ezekiel,  and  not  again 
after  this.  (See  chapters  i:3,  iii:  14-22,  vii:l,  xxxiii:22, 
xxxvii:!,   xl:L)     In  the  visions   of  God  the  prophet  was 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  277 

brought  into  the  land  of  Israel,  which  is  conclusive  evidence 
that  the  vision  he  is  about  to  receive  concerns  the  people 
Israel  and  not,  as  the  spritualizing,  allegorical  school 
of  interpreters  claim,  the  church.  Ezekiel  knew  nothing 
whatever  of  the  church  and  therefore  not  a  line  of  all  his 
prophecies  could  intelligently  be  applied  to  the  church 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  finds  himself  upon  a  very 
high  mountain;  towards  the  south  he  noticed  the  frame 
(or  building)  of  a  city.*  The  high  mountain  is,  no  doubt, 
the  mountain  frequently  mentioned  in  the  prophetic  Word. 
"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the  moun- 
tain of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills  and 
all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it"  (Isaiah  ii:2).  "Beautiful 
for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  is  mount  Zion, 
on  the  sides  of  the  north  the  city  of  the  great  King"  (Ps. 
xlviii:2).  It  is  the  place  of  His  rest  (Ps.  cxxxii:14),  where 
the  King  is  enthroned  (Ps.  ii). 

Then  appeared  in  the  vision  the  man  with  the  line  of 
flax  and  the  measuring  reed.  Zachariah  beheld  such  a  man 
with  a  measuring  line  in  his  hand  to  measure  Jerusalem 
(Zech.  ii:13).  In  Rev.  xxi:15  we  read  of  the  heavenly  Jeru- 
salem, that  wonderful  city,  "and  he  that  talked  with  me  had 
a  golden  reed  to  measure  the  city  and  the  gates  thereof 
and  the  wall  thereof."  And  then  follows  the  measurement 
of  the  city.  The  one  who  measured  in  Revelation  was  an 
angel  and  the  measure  was  that  of  an  angel.  We  shall 
make,  when  we  come  to  the  measurement  itself,  a  brief 
comparison  between  the  measure  mentioned  by  Ezekiel  and 
the  measure  of  the  city  in  Revelation.     And  the  man  with 


*May  also  be  translated  "and  set  me  upon  a  very  high  mountain,  and 
upon  it  was  as  the  building  of  a  city,  on  the  south."  It  will  be  upon  that 
exalted  mountain. 


278  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

the  measuring  reed  stood  in  the  gate.  He  addressed  the 
prophet  once  more  as  "Son  of  Man."  He  was  to  give  at- 
tention to  all.  His  eyes  were  to  see,  his  ears  to  hear,  he 
should  set  his  heart  upon  all  that  would  be  shown  unto 
him  and  declare  it  to  the  house  of  Israel. 

n.    The  Eastern  Gate. 

And  behold  a  wall  on  the  outside  of  the  house  round  about,  and  in 
the  man's  hand  a  measuring  reed  of  six  cubic  long  by  the  cubic 
and  an  hand  breadth;  so  he  measured  the  breadth  of  the  building, 
one  reed,  and  the  height,  one  reed.  Then  came  he  unto  the  gate 
which  looked  toward  the  east,  and  went  up  the  stairs  thereof,  and 
measured  the  threshold  of  the  gate  which  was  one  reed  broad; 
and  the  other  threshold  of  the  gate,  which  was  one  reed  broad. 
And  every  little  chamber  was  one  reed  long,  and  one  reed  broad; 
and  between  the  little  chambers  were  five  cubits;  and  the  threshold 
of  the  gate  by  the  porch  of  the  gate  within  was  one  reed.  He 
measured  also  the  porch  of  the  gate  within,  one  reed.  Then 
measured  he  the  porch  of  the  gate,  eight  cubits;  and  the  posts 
thereof,  two  cubits;  and  the  porch  of  the  gate  was  inward.  And 
the  little  chambers  of  the  gate  eastward  were  three  on  this  side, 
and  three  on  that  side;  they  three  were  of  one  measure;  and  the 
posts  had  one  measure  on  this  side  and  on  that  side.  And  he 
measured  the  breadth  of  the  entry  of  the  gate,  ten  cubits;  and  the 
length  of  the  gate,  thirteen  cubits.  The  space  also  before  the 
little  chambers  was  one  cubit  on  this  side,  and  the  space  was  one 
cubit  on  that  side;  and  the  little  chambers  were  six  cubits  on  this 
side,  and  six  cubits  on  that  side.  He  measured  then  the  gate  from 
the  roof  of  one  little  chamber  to  the  roof  of  another;  the  breadth 
was  five  and  twenty  cubits,  door  against  door.  He  made  also  posts 
of  threescore  cubits,  even  unto  the  post  of  the  court  round  about 
the  gate.  And  from  the  face  of  the  gate  of  the  entrance  unto  the 
face  of  the  porch  of  the  inner  gate  were  fifty  cubits.  And  there 
were  narrow  windows  to  the  little  chambers,  and  to  their  posts 
within  the  gate  round  about,  and  likewise  to  the  arches;  and 
windows  were  round  about  inward;  and  upon  each  post  were 
palm    trees  (verses  5-16). 

The  house  mentioned  is  the  whole  building  of  the  Temple. 
A  wall  was  round  about  the  building.     A  wall  is  also  men- 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  279 

tioned  In  chapter  xHi:20  which  had  a  length  of  five  hundred 
reeds  and  a  breadth  of  five  hundred  reeds.  The  purpose  of 
that  wall  is  stated  "to  make  a  separation  between  that  which 
was  holy  and  that  which  was  common."  This  wall  of  five 
hundred  is  not  identical  with  the  wall  in  the  beginning  of 
the  vision  as  mentioned  in  verse  5.  The  wall  here  surrounded 
the  outer  court;  the  wall  in  chapter  xlii:20  surroundes  the 
whole  temple  area.  That  is  why  the  separation  between 
the  holy  and  the  common  is  spoken  of  with  that  wall.  The 
length  of  the  great  wall  which  enclosed  all  the  Temple  area 
is  not  given.  But  the  man  in  the  vision  measures  the  breadth 
and  the  height,  and  as  the  reed  is  six  cubits  we  have  2x6 
(breadth  six  cubits  and  height  six  cubits),  which  gives  us 
the  number  12.  So  we  meet  the  number  12,  the  symbol 
of  divine  government  on  the  threshold  of  this  vision.  How 
prominent  the  number  12  is  in  the  description  of  the  heavenly 
Jerusalem  in  the  last  book  of  the  Bible  (Rev.  xxi)  is  known 
to  every  reader  of  that  book.  The  wall  there  has  12  gates 
and  12  foundations  and  is  12x12  cubits  high,  that  is  144 
cubits.  All  is  perfection  in  that  heavenly  Jerusalem. 
Here  in  Ezekiel  we  have  the  description  of  the  earthly 
sanctuary  which  will  be  in  existence  during  the  millennium. 
While  in  Revelation  the  one  who  measures  is  an  angel 
with  a  golden  reed,  it  is  a  man  in  Ezekiel  and  the  cubit 
he  uses  (the  length  of  the  human  forearm  from  the  elbow 
to  the  tip  of  the  little  finger)  has  a  handbreadth  added. 
The  eastern  gate,  the  little  chambers,  the  porch,  etc. — every- 
thing is  measured.  The  lesson  is  that  even  to  the  details 
everything  is  here  by  divine  appointment.  If  the  reed 
mentioned  frequently  is  taken  as  six  cubits  we  have  in  the 
measure  the  number  12  several  times.  Every  little  chamber 
(guard  houses)  was  one  reed  long  (six  cubits)  and  six  cubits 
broad — twice  6 — 12.  That  all  this  must  have  a  deeper  mean- 
ing we  doubt  not;  and  yet  who  can  at  this  time  give  it  to  us 


280  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

in  full?     These  instructions  will  be  literally  followed  and 
carried  out  in  the  coming  day  of  Israel's  restoration. 

In  these  verses  we  find  the  wall  and  its  construction, 
surrounding  the  outer  court  of  this  future  temple  described. 
Three  gates  were  seen  by  the  prophet  in  this  wall — an 
Eastern  gate,  a  Northern  gate  (verse  10)  and  a  Southern 
gate  (verse  24).  The  West  side  of  the  wall  has  no  gate. 
As  we  learn  later  the  returning  glory  of  the  Lord  will  enter 
the  temple  by  the  Eastern  gate.  Seven  steps  lead  up  to 
these  gates.  Seven  is  the  number  of  divine  perfection  and 
accomplishment.  These  gates  must  not  be  thought  of  as 
mere  openings  in  the  wall;  they  are  gateways  forming 
separate  buildings  which  project  into  the  outer  court  to  a 
distance  of  fifty  cubits  with  a  breadth  of  twenty-five  cubits. 
On  both  sides  of  these  gateways  the  prophet  saw  six  little 
chambers,  three  on  each  side,  and  each  six  cubits  square. 
There  has  been  much  speculation  as  to  the  possible  use  of 
these  little  chambers  and  their  meaning.  The  Hebrew 
word  used  here  is  the  same  as  in  1  Kings  xiv:28,  translated 
in  this  passage  "guard-chamber."  This  may  be  the  purpose 
of  these  chambers  in  the  gateway  building  of  this  first  wall. 
This  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  chapter  xliv:ll  and  14, 
which  speaks  of  the  Levites  having  charge  of  the  gates  of 
the  house,  so  that  in  all  probability  these  guard-chambers 
will  be  in  charge  of  the  Levites.  Let  us  also  notice  the 
prominence  of  the  numbers  three  and  twelve.  There  are 
2x3  guard-chambers  in  each  gateway  both  in  the  outer 
court  and  also  in  the  inner  court.  This  gives  us  thirty- 
six  guard-chambers,  or  3x12.  The  number  three  means 
symbolically  fullness,  a  divine  fullness,  and  twelve  stands 
for  divine  sovereignty  and  government.  Three  times 
twelve  means,  therefore,  divine  fullness  in  sovereign  power 
and  government.  God  Himself  will  be  the  guardian  and 
protector  of  this  millennial  sanctuary  of  His  earthly  people. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  281 

Mention  is  made  also  of  a  porch  in  connection  with  each 
gateway.  This  porch  of  the  gate  is  inward,  and  it  must  be 
thought  of  in  the  form  of  a  hall.  Such  a  porch-hall  is  men- 
tioned in  the  architecture  of  Solomon's  temple  (1  Kings 
vi:3;  2  Chron.  iii:4;  see  also  Joel  ii:17).  These  vestibule 
halls  are  the  termination  of  the  gateway  leading  into  the 
outer  court  itself.  The  porch-hall  of  the  significant  Eastern 
gate  is  reserved  for  the  Prince.  He  enters  by  way  of  the 
porch  of  that  gate  and  goes  out  the  same  way  (chapter 
xliv:3).  And  there  is  a  door  for  each  gate,  for  we  read  that 
the  East  gate  was  to  be  shut  (xliv:l-2).  The  door  at  the 
termination  of  the  gateway  is  mentioned  in  verse  11.  The 
width  of  the  doorway  is  ten  cubits  and  the  height  of  the 
door  Itself  thirteen  cubits — 10x3.  The  number  ten  signi- 
fies responsibility,  and  three,  as  already  stated,  is  symbolical 
of  divine  fullness.  Then  posts  were  seen  by  the  prophet. 
Each  gateway  had  two  posts  and  each  post  is  two  cubits 
thick  and  sixty  cubits  high  (verses  9,  14).  Critics  have  de- 
clared that  the  given  dimension  of  sixty  cubits  is  impossible. 
We  do  not  know  why  this  should  be  declared  impossible. 
Some  critics  have  said  that  the  man  could  not  have  measured 
these  sixty  cubits;  but  the  word  measure  is  not  used  at 
all.  The  windows  of  the  little  chambers  will  be  closed 
windows.  Upon  the  posts  were  palm  trees.  These  palm 
trees  were  ornamental  and  artificial  (xl:18).  That  palms 
are  prominent  in  this  millennial  temple,  crowning  first  of  all 
the  high  posts,  which  towered  above  all,  so  that  the  palms 
were  seen,  is  not  without  significance.  Palms  are  the  sym- 
bols of  victory.  Branches  of  palm  trees  were  also  used 
during  the  celebration  of  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  which 
dispensationally  foreshadows  the  millennial  age  of  blessing 
and  glory.  And  that  is  why  palms  are  lifted  high  above 
everything  on  the  gateway  pillars  of  the  wall  surrounding 
the  outer  court.  The  time  of  blessing,  victory,  peace  and 
glory  has  come. 


282  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

We  follow  the  prophet  now  into  the  inner  court.  This  court 
is  smaller,  exactly  one  hundred  cubits  square  (verse  47). 
In  the  center  of  this  four  square  court  stands  the  great 
altar,  eighteen  cubits  square  and  twelve  cubits  high  (chap. 
xliii:13-17).  West  of  this  great  altar  is  a  higher  terrace 
upon  which  the  temple  itself  stands.  The  approach  to  this 
inner  court  is  also  through  three  gates  corresponding  to  the 
three  gates  in  the  wall  surrounding  the  outer  court.  We 
must  notice,  however,  that  there  are  eight  steps  in  connec- 
tion with  the  gateways  leading  into  this  inner  court,  while 
the  gateways  leading  into  the  outer  court  had  only  seven 
steps.  The  number  eight  is  symbolical  of  the  new  covenant 
and  the  new  creation.*  This  great  place  of  worship,  by 
these  eight  steps,  which  lead  to  the  interior,  has  the  mark 
of  the  new  age,  the  age  when  all  things  are  made  new. 
These  gateways  have  also  the  little  chambers  like  in  the  gate- 
ways of  the  outer  court.  The  prophet  in  his  vision  entered 
by  the  South  gate;  then  he  came  next  to  the  East  gate 
(verse  32),  and  finally  to  the  North  gate  (verse  35);  and 
these  three  gateways  had  their  arches,  posts  and  palm 
trees  upon  the  posts.  All  is  symmetrical.  These  three  gate- 
ways are  seen  in  line  with  the  gateways  of  the  outer  court, 
but  the  porches  were  not  towards  the  inside,  but  at  the 
other  end  next  to  the  outer  court.  In  measurement  and 
everything  else  they  correspond  to  the  gateways  leading 
into  the  outer  court. 

The  description  of  the  great  altar  which  stands  in  the 


*Seven  days  the  priests  had  to  take  in  their  consecration;  on  the 
eighth  day  they  entered  upon  their  work.  Circumcision  was  practised 
on  the  eighth  day,  symbolical  of  the  death  of  Christ  and  the  putting 
off  of  the  body  of  the  flesh  (Col.  ii:l),  the  entrance  into  the  new  creation. 
On  the  eighth  day  Christ  was  transfigured  and  the  transfiguration  is 
a  type  of  His  coming  into  the  kingdom.  The  eighth  psalm  shows 
Him  the  head  of  the  new  creation,  with  all  things  under  His  feet. 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  283 

middle  of  the  Inner  court  is  given  later;    we  shall  follow  it 
when  we  come  to  the  text.    The  sacrifices  are  to  be  brought 
in  this  inner  court  and  therefore  we  find  next  the  sacrificial 
tables  mentioned  on  which  the  burnt  offering,  the  sin  oifer- 
ing   and   the  trespass   offering  will   be   slain.     Two  tables 
were  in  the  porch  of  the  gate  on  this  side  and  two  on  the 
other  side.     Then  at  the  steps  of  the  gate  on  both  sides 
were  two  tables,  four  tables  on  the  one  side  and  four  on 
the   other.       In   all   there   are   eight   tables   whereupon    to 
slay  sacrifices.  .  Besides  these,  there  are  four  smaller  tables 
of  hewn  stone,  especially  for  the  burnt  offering,  whereupon 
they  also  lay  the  instruments  used  in  slaying  the  sacrifices. 
This  gives  3x4  tables — twelve  which  are  grouped  on  both 
sides  of  the  steps,  along  the  sides  of  the  gateway  and  in  the 
porch.     On  these  tables  the  sacrifices  are  slain,  washed  and 
otherwise  prepared  and  the  smaller  tables  are  for  the  instru- 
ments.   Are  these  twelve  tables  only  at  one  gate  or  at  all  the 
gates  ?    There  is  reason  to  believe  that  each  of  the  gateways 
leading  to  the  inner  courts  is  furnished  with  these  sacrificial 
tables.       If  this    is    correct  we   have    again    the   significant 
numbers     and     combination    3x12,    corresponding    to    the 
guard-chambers  at  the  three  gateways,  which  also  are  3x12. 
Besides  the  chambers  and  the  entries  to  the  gates  where 
they  washed  the  sacrifices  (verse  38)  there  are  without  the 
inner  gate  chambers  at  each  gate  for  the  singers  and  the 
priests    (verses  44-46)    who   are  the   keepers   of  the   house. 
These  chambers  were  evidently  detached  from  the  gateways 
and  yet  near  by.     No  measurement  of  these  chambers  is 
given.    The  inner  court  itself  was  a  hundred  cubits  square; 
in  the  outer  was  the  great  altar. 

V.    The  Vestibule  of  the  Temple. 

And  he  brought  me  to  the  porch  of  the  house,  and  measured 
each  post  of  the  porch,  five  cubits  on  this  side,  and  five  cubits  on 
that  side:    and  the  breadth  of  the  gate  was  three  cubits  on  this 


284  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

side,  and  three  cubits  on  that  side.  The  length  of  the  porch  was 
twenty  cubits,  and  the  breadth  eleven  cubits;  and  he  brought  me 
by  the  steps  whereby  they  went  up  to  it:  and  there  were  pillars  by 
the  posts,  one  on  this  side,  and  another  on  that  side. 

These  closing  verses  of  this  chapter  introduce  us  to  the 
temple  building.  The  prophet  is  brought  in  vision  to  the 
porch  of  the  house.  The  vestibule  in  which  the  prophet 
finds  himself  is  twenty  cubits  long  and  eleven  cubits  broad.* 
The  number  ten  is  here  seen  again  two  by  ten.  The  number 
of  the  steps  leading  up  to  the  vestibule  of  the  temple  are  not 
given.  Besides  the  posts  of  the  vestibule  there  are  two 
pillars  also,  one  on  each  side  of  the  entrance  gate,  which 
remind  us  of  the  two  pillars  "Jachin  and  Boaz"  in  Solomon's 
temple  (1  Kings  vii:21,  45).  Many  of  these  details  are 
obscure,  their  deeper  and  symbolical  meaning  hidden. 
It  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  make  all  kinds  of  spiritual 
applications.  As  to  such  applications  one  has  well  said, 
"We  need  a  vigilant  watch  lest  we  pervert  the  holy  Word 
of  God;  and  I  trust  myself  to  be  reticent  rather  than  thus 
offend."  The  construction  the  measurements  and  arrange- 
ment tell  out  divine  perfection.  When  at  last  this  great 
millennial  temple  is  erected  in  Israel's  land,  it  will  be  a 
glorious  witness  for  the  Lord  and  as  the  central  place  of 
earthly  worship  worthy  of  that  coming  age  of  peace  and  glory. 


*The   Septuagint   gives   ten   cubits   instead   of   only   eleven,   which 
probably  is  correct. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  235 

THE  HOLY  AND  MOST  HOLY.    THE  SIDE  BUILDING 
AND  THE  INTERIOR. 

Chapter  xli. 

The  man  with  the  measuring  reed  had  gradually  introduced 
in  the  vision  Ezekiel  to  the  outer  wall  and  outer  and  inner 
court  of  this  great  future  temple.  The  chambers,  posts, 
gateways,  sacrificial  tables,  etc.,  were  all  described  in  detail 
and  so  the  prophet  was  brought  into  the  temple  vestibule 
(xl:48-49)  to  be  led  on  into  the  temple  itself.  He  beholds 
now  the  Holy  place,  the  Most  Holy,  the  side  buildings,  the 
hinder  buildings  and  the  interior  of  the  temple. 

L    The  Holy  Place  and  the  Most  Holy. 

Afterward  he  brought  me  to  the  temple,  and  measured  the  posts, 
six  cubits  broad  on  the  one  side,  and  six  cubits  broad  on  the  other 
side,  which  was  the  breadth  of  the  tabernacle.  And  the  breadth  of 
the  door  was  ten  cubits;  and  the  sides  of  the  door  were  five  cubits 
on  the  one  side,  and  five  cubits  on  the  other  side:  and  he  measured 
the  length  thereof,  forty  cubits:  and  the  breadth,  twenty  cubits. 
Then  went  he  inward,  and  measured  each  post  of  the  door,  two 
cubits;  and  the  door,  six  cubits;  and  the  breadth  of  the  door, 
seven  cubits.  So  he  measured  the  length  thereof,  twenty  cubits; 
and  the  breadth,  twenty  cubits,  before  the  temple:  and  he  said 
unto  me,  This  is  the  most  holy  place   (verses  1-4.) 

III.  The  Outer  Court. 

Then-brought  he  me  into  the  outward  court  and,  lo,  there  were 
chambers,  and  a  pavement  made  for  the  court  round  about:  thirty 
chambers  were  upon  the  pavement.  And  the  pavement  by  the  side 
of  the  gates  over  against  the  length  of  the  gates  was  the  lower  pave" 
ment.  Then  he  measured  the  breadth  from  the  forefront  of  the 
lower  gate  unto  the  forefront  of  the  inner  court  without,  an  hundred 
cubits  eastward  and  northward.  And  the  gate  of  the  outward 
court  that  looked  toward  the  north,  he  measured  the  length  thereof, 
and  tlie  breadtli  thereof.  And  the  little  chambers  thereof  were 
three  on  this  side  and  three  on  that  side;  and  the  posts  thereof 
and  the  arches  thereof  were  after  the  measure  of  the  first  gate: 


286  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

the  length  thereof  was  fifty  cubits,  and  the  breadth  five  and 
twenty  cubits.  And  their  windows,  and  their  arches,  and  their 
palm  trees,  were  after  the  measure  of  the  gate  that  looketh  toward 
the  east;  and  they  went  up  unto  it  by  seven  steps;  and  the  arches 
thereof  v.ere  before  them.  And  the  gate  of  the  inner  court  was 
over  against  the  gate  toward  the  north,  and  toward  the  east;  and 
he  measured  from  gate  to  gate  an  hundred  cubits.  After  that  he 
brought  me  toward  the  south:  and  behold  a  gate  toward  the  south: 
and  he  measured  the  posts  thereof  and  the  arches  thereof  according 
to  these  measures.  And  there  were  windows  in  it  and  in  the 
arches  thereof  round  about,  like  those  windows:  the  length  was  fifty 
cubits,  and  the  breadth  five  and  twenty  cubits.  And  there  were 
seven  steps  to  go  up  to  it.  and  the  arches  thereof  were  before  them: 
and  it  had  palm  trees,  one  on  this  side,  and  another  on  that  side, 
upon  the  posts  thereof.  And  there  was  a  gate  in  the  inner  court 
toward  the  south:  and  he  measured  from  gate  to  gate  toward  the 
south  an  hundred  cubits    (verses  17-27.) 

The  man  with  the  measuring  line  now  leads  the  prophet 
into  the  outer  court  itself.  He  had  passed  through  the  East 
gate  and  has  now  the  vision  of  the  outer  court.  Here  again 
he  beholds  chambers.  The  word  used  for  chamber  is  a 
different  word  from  the  one  used  in  verses  7,  10,  12,  13,  16. 
21,  29,  33  and  36.  The  chambers  of  the  outer  court  are  no 
longer  guard-rooms.  The  word  used  here  is  found  in  1  Sam. 
ix:22,  which  was  not  a  small  chamber  by  any  means,  inas- 
much as  thirty  persons  could  be  accommodated.  The  word 
is  used  later  for  the  chambers  in  which  the  priests  kept  the 
tithes  and  offerings.  Such  chambers  were  in  the  temple 
of  Solomon.  In  the  millennial  temple  they  probably  will 
serve  the  same  purpose.  Then  we  read  of  a  pavement 
made  for  the  court  round  about.  It  is  a  pavement  of 
stones  (see  2  Kings  xvi:17;  2  Chron.  vii:3;  Esther  i:6 — the 
same  Hebrew^  word  is  used  in  these  passages).  This  pave- 
ment, probably  in  the  form  of  a  mosaic  arrangement, 
covers  the  entire  outer  court  and  of  the  chambers  were 
thirty  upon   the  pavement.        Where   are  these  chambers 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  287 

located?  Are  they  together  or  scattered  over  the  entire 
outer  court?  We  believe  they  will  be  located  alongside 
of  each  gateway,  two  on  the  side  of  the  East  gate,  two 
at  the  North  gate  and  two  at  the  South  gate.  This  seems  to 
be  the  correct  location,  for  the  prophet  in  having  stepped 
through  the  gateway  into  the  outer  court  sees  these  chambers 
first,  so  that  they  must  have  been  at  the  entrance  gate. 
The  measurement  follows  and  the  North  gate  and  South 
gate  are  described.  They  compare  in  every  way  to  the 
East  gate,  each  having  its  seven  steps,  its  little  chambers 
(guard-chambers)  its  posts  and  palm  trees. 

IV.  The   Inner   Court,  the   Sacrificial  Tables   and   the 
Chambers. 

And  he  brought  me  to  the  inner  court  by  the  south  gate:  and  he 
measured  the  south  gate  according  to  these  measures;  And  the  little 
chambers  thereof,  and  the  posts  thereof,  and  the  arches  thereof,  ac- 
cording to  these  measures:  and  there  were  windows  in  it  and  in  the 
arches  thereof  round  about:  it  was  fifty  cubits  long,  and  five  and 
twenty  cubits  broad.  And  the  arches  round  about  were  five  and 
twenty  cubits  long,  and  five  cubits  broad.  And  the  arches  thereof 
were  toward  the  outer  court;  and  palm  rees  were  upon  the  posts 
thereof:  and  the  going  up  to  it  had  eight  steps.  And  he  brought 
me  into  the  inner  court  toward  the  east:  and  he  measured  the  gate 
according  to  these  measures.  And  the  little  chambers  thereof, 
and  the  posts  thereof,  and  the  arches  thereof,  were  according  to 
these  measures:  and  there  were  windovv's  therein  and  in  the  arches 
thereof  round  about:  it  was  fifty  cubits  long,  and  five  and  twenty 
cubits  broad.  And  the  arches  thereof  were  toward  the  outward 
court;  and  palm  trees  were  upon  the  posts  thereof,  on  this  side, 
and  on  that  side:  and  the  going  up  to  it  had  eight  steps.  And  he 
brought  me  to  the  north  gate,  and  measured  it  according  to  these 
measures;  The  little  chambers  thereof,  the  posts  thereof,  and  the 
arches  thereof,  and  the  windows  to  it  round  about:  the  length  v/as 
fifty  cubits,  and  the  breadth  five  and  tv/enty  cubits.  And  the 
posts  thereof  were  toward  the  outer  court;  and  palm  rees  were 
upon  the  posts  thereof,  on  this  side,  and  on  that  side:  and  the  going 
up  to  it  had  eight  steps.     And  the  chambers  and  the  entries  thereof 


288  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

were  by  the  posts  of  the  gates,  where  they  washed  the  burnt 
offering.  And  in  the  porch  of  the  gate  were  two  tables  on  this 
side,  and  two  tables  on  that  side,  to  slay  thereon  the  burnt  offering 
and  the  sin  offering  and  the  trespass  offering.  And  at  the  side 
without,  as  one  goeth  up  to  the  entry  of  the  north  gate,  were  two 
tables;  and  on  the  other  side,  which  was  at  the  porch  of  the  gate, 
were  two  tables.  Four  tables  were  on  this  side,  and  four  tables 
on  that  side,  by  the  side  of  the  gate;  eight  tables,  whereupon  they 
slew  their  sacrifices.  And  the  four  tables  were  of  hewn  stone  for 
the  burnt  offering,  of  a  cubit  and  an  half  long,  and  a  cubit  and  a 
half  broad,  and  one  cubit  high:  whereupon  also  they  laid  the 
instruments  wherewith  they  slew  the  burnt  oifering  and  the  sac- 
rifice. And  within  were  hooks,  an  hand  broad,  fastened  round 
about:  and  upon  the  tables  was  the  flesh  of  the  offering.  And 
without  the  inner  gate  were  the  chambers  of  the  singers  in  the  inner 
court,  which  was  at  the  side  of  the  north  gate;  and  their  prospect 
was  toward  the  south:  one  at  the  side  of  the  east  gate  having  the 
prospect  toward  the  north.  And  he  said  unto  me,  This  chamber, 
whose  prospect  is  toward  the  south,  is  for  the  priests,  the  keepers 
of  the  charge  of  the  house.  And  the  chamber,  whose  prospect  is 
toward  the  north,  is  for  the  priests,  the  keepers  of  the  charge  of  the 
altar:  these  are  the  sons  of  Zadok  among  the  sons  of  Levi,  which 
come  near  to  the  Lord  to  minister  unto  him.  So  he  measured  the 
court,  an  hundred  cubits  long,  and  an  hundred  cubits  broad,  four- 
square;   and  the  altar  that  was  before  the  house  (verses  28—47). 

The  first  two  verses  give  the  measurement  of  the  Holy 
part.  Of  the  contents  of  this  part,  how  it  was  furnished, 
nothing  is  said;  only  the  measurement  is  mentioned.  The 
place  is  forty  cubits  long  and  twenty  cubits  broad.  In  this 
respect  it  corresponds  to  the  temple  of  Solomon  in  which  the 
Holy  place  had  the  same  dimensions,  while  the  same  part  in 
the  wilderness  tabernacle  was  only  twenty  cubits  by  ten 
cubits.  We  find  therefore  that  the  Holy  part  in  the  temple  of 
Solomon  and  Ezekiel's  temple  is  double  the  size  of  the  Holy 
part  of  the  tabernacle.  There  is  a  door  which  leads  from 
the  vestibule  into  this  Holy  place  and  at  both  sides  are  door 
posts,  six  cubits  broad  on  the  one  side  and  six  on  the  other; 
between  these  two  posts  is  the  door,  the  breadth  of  which  is 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  289 

ten  cubits.*  The  number  twelve  is  again  in  evidence  in  these 
two  posts,  twice  six.  Inasmuch  as  the  wall  (verse  5)  is  six 
cubits  thick  these  two  posts  are  probably  a  part  of  the  wall 
surrounding  the  temple.  Later  we  receive  the  additional 
information  that  the  waters  issued  from  under  the  threshold 
of  the  house  eastward,  the  seer  being  at  this  door  (xlvii:l). 

Then  the  man  went  inward,  into  the  Most  Holy.  This  was 
a  perfect  square  twenty  cubits  long  and  twenty  broad.  Let 
us  notice  that  the  prophet  here  does  not  enter  the  place,  for 
it  is  the  Most  Holy,  the  dwelling  place  of  Jehovah. 

The  man  entered  in  alone,  while  the  prophet  remained 
outside.  There  was  a  door  six  cubits  high  and  seven  cubits 
broad.  The  breadth  of  the  door  leading  into  the  Holy  part 
was  ten  cubits,  but  the  door  leading  into  the  Most  Holy  was 
seven  cubits  broad,  the  number  which  denotes  divine  per- 
fection. The  description  of  the  interior  of  the  temple  is 
given  in  verses  15-26. 

II.    The  Side  Buildings. 

After  he  measured  the  wall  of  the  house,  six  cubits;  and  the 
breadth  of  every  side  chamber,  four  cubits,  round  about  the  house 
on  every  side.  And  the  side  chambers  were  three,  one  over  another, 
and  thirty  in  order;  and  they  entered  into  the  wall  which  was  of  the 
house  for  the  side  chambers  round  about,  that  they  might  have  hold, 
but  they  had  not  hold  in  the  wall  of  the  house.  And  there  was  an 
enlarging,  and  a  winding  about  still  upward  to  the  side  chambers: 
for  the  winding  about  of  the  house  went  still  upward  round  about 
the  house:  therefore  the  breadth  of  the  house  was  still  upward,  and 
so  increased  from  the  lowest  chamber  to  the  highest  by  the  midst. 
I  saw  also  the  height  of  the  house  round  about:  the  foundations  of 
the  side  chambers  were  a  full  reed  of  six  great  cubits.  The  thick- 
ness of  the  wall,  which  was  for  the  side  chamber  without,  was  five 
cubits:  and  that  which  was  left  was  the  place  of  the  side  chambers 
that  were  within.     And  between  the  chambers  was  the  wideness  of 


*The  words  "which  was  the  breadth  of  the  tabernacle"  are  by  some 
declared  doubtful.     The  Septuagint  has  omitted  them. 


290  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

twenty  cubits  round  about  the  house  on  every  side.  And  the  doors 
of  the  side  chambers  were  toward  the  place  that  was  left,  one 
door  toward  the  north,  and  another  door  toward  the  south:  and 
the  breadth  of  the  place  that  was  left  was  five  cubits  round  about 
(verses  5-1 1). 

He  measured  first  the  wall  which  surrounded  the  Holy  and 
the  Most  Holy  part.  This  wall  was  six  cubits.  Then  there 
are  side  chambers.  Such  side  chambers  were  also  in  the 
temple  of  Solomon  (1  Kings  vi:5).  There  are  three  stories 
and  each  contains  thirty  chambers,  so  there  are  ninety 
chambers  in  all.  These  three  stories  with  the  ninety  chambers 
surrounded  the  temple  on  its  three  sides,  the  North,  West  and 
South  sides,  the  East  side  being  the  vestibule  and  entrance 
into  the  temple;  no  side  chambers  are  found  above  this 
entrance.  These  side  chambers  enter  into  the  wall,  that  they 
might  have  hold  and  still  they  have  not  hold  of  the  wall  itself. 
In  this  also  the  temple  corresponds  to  the  arrangement  of 
Solomon's  temple.  1  Kings  vi:6  explains  the  construction  of 
these  chambers:  "On  the  outside  he  made  rebatements 
In  the  wall  of  the  house  round  about,  that  the  beams  should 
not  have  hold  in  the  wall  of  the  house."  The  side  chambers 
in  the  Solomonic  temple  were  fastened  on  the  house  with 
timber  of  cedar  (1  Kings  vl:10).  This  probably  explains 
the  meaning  of  the  attachment  of  these  three  stories  of 
chambers  in  Ezekiel's  temple.  The  side  chambers  must 
therefore  be  considered  as  an  addition  to  the  wall  itself  which 
surrounds  the  Holy  and  Most  Holy.  We  do  not  know  what 
will  be  the  use  of  these  ninety  chambers  In  the  millennial 
temple.  The  seventh  verse  shows  that  the  stories  of  this 
addition  to  the  wall,  containing  the  chambers,  have  galleries 
round  about.  And  the  gallery  of  the  second  story  Is  broader 
than  the  gallery  of  the  first,  and  the  gallery  of  the  third  is 
broader  than  the  second  story,  so  that  this  annex  broadens 
upward.    The  expression  "winding  about"  has  led  some  of  the 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  291 

few  expositors  of  these  chapters  to  identify  with  the  winding 
stairs  of  the  Solomonic  temple  (1  Kings  vi:8);  but  this  is 
incorrect.  The  text  does  not  mention  a  staircase  at  all. 
A  better  rendering  of  verse 8  is:  "And  I  saw  that  the  house 
had  an  elevation  round  about,  the  foundations  of  the  side 
chambers,  a  full  reed,  six  cubits  to  the  joint."*  There  was 
then  a  raised  basement  on  the  three  sides  of  the  temple  and 
the  six  cubits  correspond  to  the  ten  steps  (xl:49)  marking  the 
height  of  the  elevation.  Verse  9  shows  that  the  thickness  of 
the  wall,  which  was  for  the  side  chambers  without  v/as  five 
cubits,  besides  this  there  was  a  free  place  along  the  building. 
"And  between  the  chambers  (and  the  house)  was  a  width  of 
twenty  cubits  round  about  the  house  on  every  side."  This 
afforded  the  proper  light  for  these  chambers.  "And  the 
entry  of  the  side  chambers  was  toward  what  was  left  free, 
one  entry  toward  the  North,  and  one  entry  toward  the 
South;  and  the  width  of  the  space  left  free  was  five  cubits 
round  about."  The  side  chambers  were  therefore  entered 
from  the  outside. 

III.    The  Hinder  Building — The  Total  Measurement. 

Now  the  building  that  was  before  the  separate  place  at  the  end 
toward  the  west  was  seventy  cubits  broad;  and  the  wall  of  the 
building  was  five  cubits  thick  round  about,  and  the  length  thereof 
ninety  cubits.  So  he  measured  the  house,  an  hundred  cubits  long; 
and  the  separate  place,  and  the  building,  with  the  walls  thereof, 
an  hundred  cubits  long;  also  the  breadth  of  the  face  of  the  house, 
and  of  the  separate  place  toward  the  east,  an  hundred  cubits. 
And  he  measured  the  length  of  the  building  over  against  the  sep- 
arate place  which  was  behind  it,  and  the  galleries  thereof  on  the 
one  side  and  on  the  other  side,  an  hundred  cubits,  with  the  inner 
temple,  and  the  porches  of  the  court  (verses  12-15). 

Here  a  new  building  comes  into  view  which  is  behind  the 


i.  e..  To  the  level  place  where  the  side  chambers  begin. 


292  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

temple  building  toward  the  West.  Its  dimensions  are  seventy 
cubits  broad,  ninety  cubits  long  and  the  wall  is  five  cubits 
in  thickness  round  about.  The  use  of  this  building  is  not 
stated.  Its  use  is  probably  for  the  disposal  of  the  refuse 
from  the  sacrifices  and  other  unclean  things.  No  other 
description  is  given  of  this  hinder  building,  this  separate 
place.  Verses  12  and  14  give  the  total  measurement  of  the 
house,  a  hundred  cubits,  which  is  the  total  of  the  previously 
given  measures. 

IV.    The  Interior  of  the  Temple  Described. 

The  thresholds,  and  the  closed  windows,  and  the  galleries  round 
about  on  their  three  stories,  over  against  the  door,  ceiled  with  wood 
round  about,  and  from  the  ground  up  to  the  windows,  and  the 
windows  were  covered;  to  that  above  the  entry,  even  unto  the 
inner  house,  and  without,  and  by  all  the  wall  round  about  within 
and  without,  all  was  by  measure.  And  it  was  made  with  cherubim 
and  palm  trees,  so  that  a  palm  tree  was  between  a  cherub  and  a 
cherub;  and  every  cherub  had  two  faces;  so  that  the  face  of  a  man 
was  toward  the  palm  tree  on  the  one  side,  and  the  face  of  a  young 
lion  toward  the  palm  tree  on  the  other  side:  it  was  made  through 
all  the  house  round  about.  From  the  ground  unto  above  the  door 
were  cherubim  and  palm  trees  made,  and  on  the  wall  of  the  temple. 
The  posts  of  the  temple  were  squared,  and  the  front  of  the  sanctuary 
had  the  same  appearance.  The  altar  was  of  wood  three  cubits  high, 
and  the  length  thereof  two  cubits;  and  the  corners  thereof,  and  the 
length  thereof,  and  the  walls  thereof,  were  of  wood:  and  he  said 
unto  me,  This  is  the  table  that  is  before  the  Lord.  And  the  temple 
and  the  sanctuary  had  two  doors.  And  the  doors  had  two  leaves, 
two  turning  leaves;  two  leaves  for  the  one  door,  and  two  leaves 
for  the  other  door.  And  there  were  made  on  them,  on  the  doors 
of  the  temple,  cherubim  and  palm  trees,  like  as  were  made  upon 
the  walls;  and  there  was  a  wooden  portal  in  front  of  the  porch 
without.  And  closed  windows  and  palm  trees  on  the  one  side  and 
on  the  other  side,  on  the  sides  of  the  porch,  and  upon  the  side 
chambers  of  the  house,  and  the  portals*  (verses  16-26). 


*Corrected  text. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  293 

From  verse  16  we  learn  that  all  was  wainscoted  with  wood. 
The  altar  was  also  of  wood.  It  is  significant  that  silver  and 
gold,  so  prominent  in  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness  and 
in  Solomon's  temple,  are  entirely  absent  in  the  millennial 
temple.  The  words  "silver  and  gold"  are  not  mentioned 
once  in  Ezekiel  xl-xlviii.  Silver  typifies  grace  in  redemption, 
being  the  ransom  money.  Gold  typifies  divine  righteousness. 
Both  are  absent  in  the  millennial  temple  for  what  the  silver 
and  gold  foreshadows  is  now  realized  in  His  redeemed  earthly 
people.  The  heavenly  Jerusalem  has  gold  in  it,  but  silver  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  description  of  the  city  in  Revelation  xxi. 

The  chief  ornaments  in  this  temple  are  cherubim  and  palm 
trees;  they  were  along  the  wall  of  the  temple.  So  it  was  in 
the  temple  of  Solomon.  "And  he  carved  all  the  walls  of  the 
house  round  about  with  carved  figures  of  cherubim  and  palm 
trees  and  open  flowers  within  and  without"  (1  Kings  vi:29). 

A  palm  tree  v/as  between  cherub  and  cherub.  As  stated  in 
the  previous  chapter  palms  are  the  emblems  of  victory  and 
remind  us  of  the  feast  of  tabernacles.  They  were  seen  high 
above  on  the  posts.  Cherubim  speak  of  the  presence  of  the 
Lord,  who  enters  this  house  and  is  worshipped  here.  But 
the  cherubim  here  have  only  two  faces  and  not  four  as  in  the 
opening  vision  of  this  book  (chapter  i:10-12).  As  often 
stated,  these  celestial  beings  tell  out  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
His  personal  glory.  The  lion,  His  kingly  glory;  the  face  of  a 
man,  His  true  humanity;  the  face  of  an  ox.  His  servant  char- 
acter; and  the  face  of  an  eagle.  His  heavenly  origin  and  destiny, 
Son  of  God.  It  is  not  without  meaning  that  the  face  of  a  man 
and  the  face  of  a  young  lion  are  seen  on  these  cherubim  and 
each  face  looks  upon  a  palm  tree.  Its  symbolical  meaning  is 
obvious.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  come  again  and  visited 
the  earth  and  the  temple  and  appeared  as  the  glorified  Man 
and  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  His  is  the  victory  and  the 
glory.     When  at  last  this  temple  stands  in  Israel's  land,  and 


294  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

its  meaning  and  measurements,  as  well  as  other  details,  are 
fully  known  and  understood,  it  will  be  known  then  that  His 
blessed  work,  victory  and  person  are  symbolically  seen 
throughout  this  house. 

The  altar  was  of  wood,  three  cubits  high  and  two  cubits 
long.  "And  he  said  unto  me,  This  is  the  table  which  is  before 
Jehovah."  The  altar  is  the  altar  of  incense.  The  burnt 
offering  altar  is  described  in  chapter  xliii:13,  etc.  In  the 
tabernacle  and  Solomon's  temple  the  altar  of  incense  was 
overlaid  with  gold.  Note  also  the  difference  in  the  measure- 
ment. The  altar  of  incense  in  the  tabernacle  was  two  cubits 
high  and  one  cubit  long  and  broad;  the  altar  in  the  future 
temple  is  three  cubits  high  and  two  cubits  long,  nearly  double 
in  size.  The  incense  offered  upon  the  altar  is  the  symbol  of 
the  fragrance  Christ  is  to  God.  It  also  typifies  praise  and 
prayer  (Ps.  cxli:2;  Rev.  v:8;  viii:3);  being  communion  with 
God  it  is  here  called  "the  table  which  is  before  Jehovah," 
How  great  will  be  the  fragrance  of  Christ,  and  the  praise  and 
worship  God  will  receive,  in  this  great  house  of  worship! 

There  were  also  two  doors  for  the  sanctuary  with  two  turn- 
ing leaves.  They  were  ornamented,  like  the  walls,  with  cher- 
ubim and  palm  trees. 

THE  CELLS  FOR  THE  PRIESTS. 

Chapter  xlii. 

This  chapter  gives  the  description  of  the  chambers  or 
cells  of  the  priests  and  closes  with  the  final  measurements 
of  this  temple.  After  this,  as  recorded  in  the  next  chapter, 
the  prophet  beheld  the  return  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  and 
how  He  entered  the  house. 

I.     The  Description  of  the  Cells  for  the  Priests. 

Then  he  brought  me  forth  into  the  outer  court,  the  way  toward 
the  north:   and  he  brought  me  into  the  cells  that  was  over  against 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  295 

the  separate  place,  and  which  was  before  the  building  toward  the 
north.  Before  the  length  of  an  hundred  cubits  was  the  north 
doQT,  and  the  breadth  was  fifty  cubits.  Over  against  the  twenty 
cubits  which  pertained  to  the  inner  court,  and  over  against  the  pave- 
ment which  pertained  to  the  outer  court,  was  gallery  against  gallery 
In  three  stories.  And  before  the  cells  was  a  walk  of  ten  cubits 
breadth  inward,  a  way  of  one  cubit;  and  their  doors  toward  the 
north.  Now  the  upper  cells  were  shorter:  for  the  galleries  were 
higher  than  these,  than  the  lovv-er,  and  than  the  middlemost  of  the 
building.  For  they  were  in  three  stories,  but  had  not  pillars  as  the 
pillars  of  the  courts:  therefore  the  building  was  straitened  more 
than  the  lowest  and  the  middlemost  from  the  ground.  And  the 
wall  that  ■> "  without  over  against  the  cells,  toward  the  outer 
court  on  the  forepart  of  the  cells,  the  length  thereof  was  fifty 
cubits:  For  the  length  of  the  cells  that  were  in  the  outer  court  was 
fifty  cubits:  and,  lo,  before  the  temple  were  an  hundred  cubits.  And 
from  under  these  cells  was  the  entry  on  the  east  side,  as  one  goeth 
into  them  from  the  outer  court.  The  cells  were  in  the  thickness  of 
the  wall  of  the  court  toward  the  east,  over  against  the  separate 
place,  and  over  against  the  building.  And  the  way  before  them 
was  like  the  appearance  of  the  cells  which  were  toward  the  north, 
as  long  as  they,  and  as  broad  as  they:  and  all  their  goings  out  were 
both  according  to  their  fashions,  and  according  to  their  doors. 
And  according  to  the  doors  of  the  cells,  that  were  toward 
the  south  was  a  door  in  the  head  of  the  way,  even  the  way  directly 
before  the  wall  toward  the  east,  as  one  entereth  into  them 
(verses  1-12). 

Once  more  the  man  leads  forth  the  prophet.  The  Holy 
part  and  the  Most  Holy  had  been  measured  and  described 
and  now  he  leaves  the  innermost  part  and  is  led  again  into 
the  outer  court.  He  goes  on  towards  the  North  and  faces  a 
cell-building  over  against  the  separate  place.  This  separate 
place  is  the  hinder  building  described  in  chapter  xli:12. 
There  are  three  such  cell-buildings,  one  on  the  North  and  the 
other  on  the  South;  that  is,  facing  the  two  sides  of  the  hinder 
building  in  the  separate  place.  The  third  cell-building  is  at 
the  East-gate.  The  entrance  to  these  cell  buildings  ;s  from 
the   outer   court.     The   measurement   given    presents    con- 


296  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

siderable  difficulty  which  we  do  not  attempt  to  solve.  Each 
of  these  buildings  has  three  stories  and  before  each  is  a  walk 
of  ten  cubits.  We  also  learn  that  the  upper  story  of  cells 
is  shorter  than  the  first  and  second  stories;  this  corresponds 
in  architecture  to  the  side  buildings  described  in  chapter 
xli:5-ll.  How  many  cells  or  chambers  are  in  each  of  these 
buildings  is  not  stated. 

II.    For  What  the  Cells  are  Used. 

Then  said  he  unto  me,  The  north  cells  and  the  south  chambers, 
which  are  before  the  separate  place,  they  be  holy  cells,  where  the 
priests  that  approach  unto  the  Lord  shall  eat  the  most  Uo.^  l!  ings: 
there  shall  they  lay  the  most  holy  things,  and  the  meat  offering, 
and  the  sin  offering,  and  the  trespass  offering;  for  the  place  is  holy. 
When  the  priests  enter  therein,  then  shall  they  not  go  out  of  the  holy 
place  into  the  outer  court,  but  there  they  shall  lay  their  garments 
wherein  they  minister;  for  they  are  holy;  and  shall  put  on  other 
garments,  and  shall  approach  to  those  things  which  are  for  the 
people"   (verses  13-14). 

The  cells  on  the  North  and  South,  facing  the  separate 
place  are  especially  mentioned  as  being  holy  chambers. 
Here  the  priests  who  approach  unto  the  Lord  are  to  eat  the 
most  holy  things  and  there  they  shall  lay  the  most  holy 
things,  the  meal  offering,  the  sin  offering  and  the  trespass 
offering.  They  were  set  apart  for  this  purpose.  For  this 
reason  at  the  end  of  these  two  cell-buildings  towards  the 
west  were  the  places  where  the  offerings  were  boiled  and 
the  meal  offering  baked.  They  were  the  kitchens  of  the 
priests.  Of  this  we  read  in  chapter  xlvi:19,  20:  "Then  he 
brought  me  through  the  passage  which  was  at  the  side  of  the 
gate,  into  the  holy  cells  which  were  for  the  priests,  which 
looked  toward  the  North;  and  behold  a  place  was  there  at 
the  end  westward.  And  he  said  unto  me,  This  is  the 
place  where  the  priests  shall  boil  the  trespass  offering  and 
the  sin  offering  and  where  they  shall  bake  the  meal  offering, 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  297 

that  they  bring  them  not  out  into  the  outer  court,  so  as  to 
hallow  the  people."  In  these  chambers  they  put  the  gar- 
ments of  their  ministry.  The  priests  are  not  to  wear  their 
holy  garments  outside  of  the  inner  court  lest  they  should 
be  profaned.  Why  these  Levitical  ordinances  are  main- 
tained in  the  millennial  temple  with  a  priesthood  still 
ministering,  the  purpose  of  all  this,  we  shall  take  up  more 
fully  in  the  exposition  of  the  chapters  which  follow. 

III.  Final  Measurement. 

Now  when  he  had  made  an  end  of  measuring  the  inner  house,  he 
brought  me  forth  toward  the  gate  whose  prospect  is  toward  th?  cast, 
and  measured  it  round  about.  He  measured  the  east  side  with  the 
measuring  reed,  five  hundred  reeds,  with  the  measuring  reed  round 
about.  He  measured  the  north  side,  five  hundred  reeds,  with  the 
measuring  reed  round  about.  He  measured  the  south  side,  five 
hundred  reeds,  with  the  measuring  reed  round  about.  He  measured 
the  south  side,  five  hundred  reeds,  with  the  measuring  reed. 
He  turned  about  to  the  west  side,  and  measured  five  hundred  reeds 
with  the  measuring  reed.  He  measured  it  by  the  four  sides:  it 
had  a  wall  round  about,  five  hundred  reeds  long,  and  five  hundred 
broad,  to  make  a  separation  between  the  sanctuary  and  the  profane 
place  (verses  15-20). 

The  measuring  of  the  inner  house  completed,  the  prophet 
is  led  back  to  the  starting  point,  the  gate  that  is  toward  the 
East.  In  this  final  measurement  four  times  five  hundred 
reeds  are  mentioned.  The  east  side,  north  side,  south  side, 
and  west  side,  each  is  measured  as  being  five  hundred  reeds. 
This  passage  has  occasioned  much  controversy.  The  ques- 
tion is  if  five  hundred  cubits  or  five  hundred  reeds  is  cor- 
rect. If  we  take  the  reed  to  be  ten  feet  it  would  mean 
that  the  temple  is  five  thousand  feet  on  each  side.  But  that 
seems  impossible  in  view  of  the  previous  measurement.  The 
Septuagint  translators  realized  this  difficulty  and  took  the 
liberty  of  changing  the  word  "reeds"  to  "cubits."  If 
cubits  is  right  then  it  would  agree  with  all  the  previous 


298  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

measurements,  hence  many  of  the  commentators  have 
changed  the  reeds  to  cubits.  But  what  authority  is  there 
to  make  this  change?  The  Hebrew  word  for  reeds  is  "f^onim" 
and  cubit  is  "ammah,"  two  entirely  different  words.  A 
copyist's  error  is  therefore  excluded.  We  maintain  that 
measurement  is  five  hundred  reeds  and  that  the  text  is 
correct. 

But  what  is  measured.^  Certainly  not  the  temple  area 
with  its  wall,  outer  court  and  Holy  and  the  Most  Holy.  What 
is  measured  here  is  the  territory  which  surrounds  the  whole 
temple  buildings.  If  we  retrace  the  steps  of  the  man  who 
measured  and  led  along  Ezekiel  we  see  him  leaving  the  Most 
Holy;  they  they  go  back  into  the  Holy  part,  the  outer  court 
and  then  passing  through  the  eastern  gate  through  which 
they  had  entered,  they  are  both  outside  of  the  outer  wall. 
They  are  now  in  a  very  large  space  surrounding  the  temple 
buildings,  and  this  space  is  measured.  Furthermore  we  find 
that  there  was  an  immense  wall  surrounding  this  enclosure: 
this  wall  separated  between  that  which  is  holy  and  what  is 
common  (verse  20).  Another  difficulty  has  been  mentioned 
by  expositors  if  this  measurement  of  five  hundred  reeds  is 
correct.  They  say  it  is  far  too  large  for  Mount  Moriah, 
the  chosen  place  of  the  temple.  There  is  no  difficulty  here 
at  all,  for  we  read,  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days 
that  the  mountain  of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established 
in  the  top  of  the  mountains  and  shall  be  exalted  above  the 
hills  and  all  nations  shall  flow  unto  it"  (Tsa.  ii:2).  When  the 
Lord  returns  and  His  Kingdom  will  be  established  great 
physical  changes  take  place  in  Israel's  land,  changes  which 
no  one  can  fully  understand.*  The  mountain  upon  which 
this  temple  is  to  be  built  is  a  very  high  mountain,  v/hlch 
comes  into  existence  when  the  earth  and  the  heavens   will 


"See  Zech.  xiv:4,  8,  10. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  299 

be  shaken.  The  temple  was  a  holy  square  of  five  hundred 
cubits,  in  another  square  of  five  hundred  reeds.  Later  we 
shall  find  that  there  is  another  holy  portion  of  the  land 
which  surrounds  the  temple,  and  the  territory  of  five  hundred 
reeds  square,  and  that  portion  was  of  an  extremely  large 
dimension,  that  is,  twenty-five  thousand  reeds  in  length 
and  ten  thousand  reeds  in  breadth.*  All  this  would  not 
be  possible  in  the  present  Palestine;  but  it  will  be  made 
possible  through  the  changes  of  that  coming  day  (Is.  ii:12; 
xxiv:3-4;   19-23). 

THE  RETURNING  GLORY.       THE  ALTAR  AND  THE 
WORSHIP. 

Chapter  xliii. 

The  plan  of  the  entire  temple  with  its  buildings,  walls 
and  the  surrounding  territory  having  been  revealed  and 
fully  recorded  in  the  preceding  chapters,  greater  things  are 
now  shown  to  the  prophet.  It  concerns  the  temple  and  the 
service  which  is  to  be  maintained  in  this  magnificent  house 
of  worship.  In  the  present  chapter  we  find  first  a  description 
of  the  return  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord  to  the  house,  filling 
the  house.  This  is  followed  by  a  message  delivered  by  the 
Lord;  speaking  out  of  the  house;  the  message  is  addressed 
to  the  prophet,  who  is  also  to  speak  to  the  house  of  Israel 
concerning  their  condition  and  the  law  of  the  house.  The 
dimensions  of  the  great  altar  are  given  and  how  that  altar 
is  to  be  consecrated.  This  is  the  first  great  service  in  this 
temple. 

I.    The  Return  of  the  Glory  of  the  Lord. 

Afterward  he  brought  me  to  the  gate,  even  the  gate  that  looketh 
toward  the  east:  And,  behold,  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  came 
from  the  way  of  the  east:    and  his  voice  was  like  a  noise  of  many 

*Chapter  xlv:l-2. 


300  THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

waters:  and  the  earth  shined  with  his  glory.  And  it  was  according 
to  the  appearance  of  the  vision  which  I  saw,  even  according  to  the 
vision  that  I  saw  when  I  came  to  destroy  the  city:  and  the  visions 
were  like  the  vision  that  I  saw  by  the  river  Chebar;  and  I  fell  upon 
my  face.  And  the  glory  of  the  Lord  came  into  the  house  by  the  way 
of  the  gate  whose  prospect  is  toward  the  east.  So  the  spirit  took 
me  up,  and  brought  me  into  the  inner  court;  and,  behold,  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  (verses  1-5). 

The  man  leads  him  back  to  the  eastern  gate  through  which 
they  had  entered  first  when  the  house  was  measured.  And 
here  he  beholds  a  startling  event.  Up  to  this  point  the  house 
with  it  buildings  had  been  seen  in  silent  grandeur.  No 
sound  was  heard;  nothing  was  seen.  But  as  they  stand  at 
the  gate  toward  the  east,  suddenly  the  glory  of  the  God  of 
Israel  came  from  the  way  of  the  east.  Then  the  voice  of 
Jehovah  was  heard  as  the  sound  of  many  waters  and  the 
earth  shined  with  His  glory.  The  dedication  of  the  house  by 
the  return  of  the  Lord  with  His  glory  is  now  to  take  place. 
Thus  the  tabernacle  in  the  wilderness  was  dedicated  (Exodus 
xl:34-35).  "A  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  the  congrega- 
tion and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle."  The 
same  happened  when  Solomon  had  finished  the  temple. 
"The  cloud  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord,  so  that  the  priests 
could  not  stand  to  minister  because  of  the  cloud,  for  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  of  the  Lord"  (1  Kings 
viii:10-ll;  2  Chron.  v:13,  14;  vii:l-3).  The  Lord  with 
His  glory  entered  into  these  prepared  places  and  in  like 
manner  He  will  enter  the  great  temple  Ezekiel  beheld  in  his 
prophetic  vision.  Such  a  return  of  the  glory  of  the  God 
of  Israel  to  dwell  in  another  temple  has  not  yet  taken  place. 
When  the  returned  remnant  after  the  proclamation  of  Cyrus 
had  rebuilt  the  temple,  no  cloud  filled  the  house  nor  was  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  seen.  Some  apply  this  vision  t'o  the  time 
when  our  Lord  was  on  earth  and  that  it  was  fulfilled  whei) 
He  entered  the  temple.    This  needs  no  further  refutation, 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  301 

but  it  shows  how  much  at  sea  expositors  of  the  Word  of 
God  are  who  reject  the  future  restoration  of  Israel.  When 
the  Lord  was  on  earth  He  had  laid  His  visible  glory  by  and 
was  rejected  by  the  nation.  This  vision  of  glory  will  be 
fulfilled  when  He  returns  the  second  time  in  power  and  glory; 
then  and  never  before  will  this  visible  glory  be  displayed 
and  His  glory  will  shine  over  Israel's  land  and  finally  cover 
the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  deep. 

We  must  notice  here  especially  that  the  vision  the  prophet 
beheld  was  "according  to  the  appearance  of  the  vision" 
he  saw  before  the  destruction  of  the  city  "the  visions  were 
like  the  visions"  which  he  saw  "by  the  river  Chebar." 
This  points  back  to  the  first  chapter  when  first  by  the  river 
Chebar  the  heavens  were  opened  to  Ezekiel  the  priest,  and 
he  saw  visions  of  God.  At  the  close  of  that  chapter  we  read 
after  the  recorded  vision,  "This  was  the  appearance  of  the 
likeness  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord."  The  same  vision  of  glory 
appeared  again  to  him  when  Ezekiel  had  left  the  river 
Chebar  and  gone  into  the  plain  (iii:22-23).  Then  he  had 
witnessed  the  gradual  and  solemn  departure  of  the  glory 
of  the  Lord.  "Then  the  glory  of  the  Lord  departed  from 
off  the  threshold  of  the  house,  and  stood  over  the  cherubim. 
And  the  cherubim  lifted  up  their  wings,  and  mounted  up 
from  the  earth  in  my  sight  .  .  .  They  stood  at  the 
door  of  the  east  gate  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  the  glory 
of  the  God  of  Israel  was  over  them  above"  (x:18-19).  Then 
finally  the  Shekinah  went  up  and  disappeared.  "And 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  went  up  from  the  midst  of  the  city  and 
stood  upon  the  mountain  which  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  city" 
(xi:22). 

The  similarity  of  the  departure  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
from  the  temple  before  its  destruction  by  Nebuchadnezzar 
and  Its  future  return  to  the  temple  of  Ezekiel's  vision  is 
most  interesting.     It  is   the  same  glory  which   departed, 


302  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

which  returns;  it  is  the  same  Lord  who  resumes  relationship 
with  His  earthly  people.  The  withdrawal  of  the  visible 
glory  of  the  Lord  meant  the  departure  of  His  gracious 
presence  from  among  His  people,  which  was  followed  by 
judgment.  The  return  of  the  visible  glory  means  the  return 
of  His  gracious  presence  among  them  and  that  the  judg- 
ment, which  has  lasted  so  long,  is  forever  gone.  The  de- 
parture of  the  glory  was  through  the  east  gate  and  was 
finally  seen  upon  the  mountain  at  the  east  side  of  the  city; 
the  return  is  from  the  way  of  the  east  and  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  enters  through  the  east  gate.  But  it  is  not  only  a 
visible  glory,  but  the  Lord  Himself  is  in  the  Shekinah. 
Ezekiel  beheld  above  the  firmament  and  the  cherubim, 
when  he  saw  the  glory  of  the  Lord  at  the  river  Chebar,  he 
heard  His  voice.  And  here  also  His  voice  is  mentioned 
"like  the  sound  of  many  waters."  From  verses  6  and  7 
we  learn  that  after  the  glory  had  entered  the  house  the 
Lord  addressed  the  prophet  out  of  the  house. 

The  Lord  Himself  in  all  His  glory  is  manifested  and  enters 
the  temple,  the  place  of  His  rest  and  glory.  The  cherubim 
will  be  seen  in  person  and  from  the  New  Testament  we  learn 
that  angels  will  be  with  Him  also.  His  glory  will  then  cover 
Israel's  land  and  the  earth.  "His  glory  covered  the  heavens, 
and  the  earth  was  full  of  His  praise.  And  His  brightness  was 
as  the  light;  He  had  bright  beams  out  of  His  side*  and  there 
was  the  hiding  of  His  power."  This  is  how  Habakkuk 
describes  the  same  manifestation  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
and  the  coming  of  the  Lord  of  glory  (see  Isaiah  xl:5;  lviii:8; 
lx:l-2;  lxvi:18).  Isaiah's  great  vision  may  be  viewed 
as  foreshadowing  this  manifestation  of  His  glory.  He  saw.  the 
Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne  and  His  train  filled  the  temple. 
The  seraphim  cried  one  unto  another,  and  said.  Holy,  holy, 


*Marginal  reading. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  303 

holy  is  the  Lord  of  hosts,  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  His 
glory.  And  as  the  prophet  was  cleansed  and  his  iniquity 
taken  away  and  became  the  messenger  of  the  Lord  (Is.  vi), 
so  the  nation  Israel  will  be  cleansed  and  forgiven  and  become 
the  messenger  of  Jehovah.* 

When  the  Spirit  had  transported  the  prophet  into  the 
inner  court  of  the  temple,  he  discovered  that  the  glory 
of  the  Lord  filled  the  house.  We  repeat  it,  no  such  thing 
happened  when  the  returned  Jewish  remnant  had  entered 
the  temple.  When  the  old  men,  who  had  seen  the  Solomonic 
temple  and  knew  of  its  glory,  beheld  the  foundation  of  the 
second  temple  they  wept  (Ezra  iii:12).  When  the  house 
was  dedicated  no  glory  returned,  no  cloud  was  seen,  no  she- 
kinah  filled  the  house.  Nor  is  it  a  spiritual  glory,  the  glory 
of  the  church,  as  so  many  seem  to  believe. 

But  Haggai,  who  with  Zechariah  prophesied  during  the  re- 
building of  the  temple,  uttered  a  significant  prophecy  while 
that  second  house  was  building — a  prophecy  which  must 
be  linked  with  Ezekiel's  vision  of  the  returning  glory:  "For 
thus  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts:  yet  once  it  is  a  little  while, 
and  I  will  shake  the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  the  sea, 
and  the  dry  land.  And  I  will  shake  all  nations,  and  the 
Desire  of  all  nations  shall  come,  and  I  will  fill  this  house  with 
glory"  (Haggai  ii:6-7).  This  was  not  the  house  they  were 
building.  It  is  a  future  house,  a  future  temple.  That 
house  will  be  built  when  the  heavens  and  the  earth  are 
being  shaken,  when  all  nations  shake  and  when  the  Desire 
of  all  nations,  the  King  of  glory,  the  Prince  of  Peace,  our 
Lord  comes.  Then  this  house  will  be  filled  with  glory. 

It  will  be  a  visible  glory.  It  will  be  a  permanent  glory. 
He  will  now  dwell  gloriously  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of 


*Such  an  application  seems  warranted  in  view  of  the  message  Ezekiel 
received  from  the  Lord  to  the  people  (verses  6-12). 


304  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Israel  (verse  7).  This  visible  glory  will  be  seen  over  Jeru- 
salem, like  as  it  was  of  old,  a  cloud  by  day  and  a  shining, 
flaming  fire  by  night.  "And  Jehovah  will  create  over 
every  dwelling  place  of  Mount  Zion,  and  over  its  convocations 
a  cloud  by  day  and  a  smoke  and  the  brightness  of  a  flame 
of  fire  by  night,  for  over  all  the  glory  shall  be  a  covering" 
(Is.  iv:5). 

II.    The  Voice  from  the  Temple  and  the  Message  to  Israel 

And  I  beard  one  speaking  unto  me  out  of  the  house;  and  a  man 
stood  by  me.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  this  is  the  place  of 
my  throne,  and  the  place  of  the  soles  of  my  feet,  where  I  will  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel  for  ever,  and  my  holy  name, 
shall  the  house  of  Israel  no  more  defile,  they,  nor  their  kings,  with 
their  fornication,  and  with  the  carcases  of  their  kings  in  their  high 
places.  In  that  they  set  their  threshold  by  my  threshold,  and  their 
post  by  my  post,  and  there  was  only  a  wall  between  me  and  them, 
they  have  even  defiled  m)^  holy  name  by  their  abominations  that 
thejr  have  committed:  and  I  consumed  them  in  mine  anger.  Now 
let  them  put  aAvay  their  fornication  and  the  carcases  of  their  kings, 
far  from  me,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  them  for  ever.  Thou 
son  of  man,  shew  the  house  to  the  house  of  Israel,  that  they  may  be 
ashamed  of  their  iniquities;  and  let  them  measure  the  pattern. 
And  if  they  be  ashamed  of  til  that  they  have  done,  shew  them  the 
form  of  the  house,  and  the  fashion  thereof,  and  its  goings  out,  and 
its  comings  in,  and  all  its  forms,  and  all  the  ordinances,  and  all  the 
forms  thereof,  and  all  the  lav/s  thereof:  and  write  it  in  their  sight, 
that  they  may  keep  the  v/hole  form  thereof,  and  all  the  ordinances 
thereof,  and  do  them..  This  Is  the  law  of  the  house;  Upon  the 
top  of  the  mountain  the  whole  limit  thereof  round  about  shall  be 
most  holy.     Behold,  this  is  the  law  of  the  house    (verses  6-12). 

The  Glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  Lord  of  Glory  had  entered 
the  house,  filling  it;  and  now  the  voice  of  one  is  heard 
out  of  the  house.  The  speaker  is  the  Lord  Himself,  who  had 
made  His  dwelling  place  in  the  temple  (see  also  xlvi:20,  24; 
xlvii:6,  8).  The  man  who  stood  by  Ezekiel  did  not  speak, 
as  some  expositors  claim.  He  is  only  guide  to  the  prophet 
(xliv:l,  4;    xlvi:19,  21).    He  is  probably  not  the  same  person, 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  305 

who  as  the  measuring  man  had  accompanied  the  prophet, 
for  the  Hebrew  is  not  "the  man"  "stood  by  me,"  but  "a 
man."  This  person,  no  doubt  an  angel,  is  silent,  waiting 
till  the  Lord  has  spoken  and  then  leads  the  prophet  from 
place  to  place. 

The  first  word  which  the  Lord  addressed  to  Ezekiel 
from  the  house  is  significant:  "Son  of  Man,  this  is  the  place 
of  my  throne,  and  the  place  of  the  soles  of  my  feet  where 
I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel  forever." 
Of  old  the  Lord  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  the  children  of  Israel. 
Thus  we  read  in  the  book  of  Exodus,  the  book  of  redemp- 
tion: "I  will  dwell  among  the  children  of  Israel,  and  I  will 
be  their  God,  and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  Jehovah 
their  God  that  brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt 
that  I  may  dwell  among  them"  (Ex.  xxix:45,  46).  And  now 
after  the  long  and  sad  history  of  Israel's  apostasy,  blindness, 
judgment  and  dispersion  is  ended.  He  comes  to  make  His 
dwelling  place  in  their  midst  again  and  establishes  in  Jeru- 
salem His  throne.  Here  He  will  dwell  and  bless  His  people. 
Of  this  Psalm  cxxxii  speaks,  "This  is  my  rest  forever,  here 
will  I  dwell,  for  I  have  desired  it."  And  other  prophets 
announced  that  the  Lord  would  dwell  in  Zion  in  the  midst 
of  His  people  and  establish  His  throne  there  (Joel  iii:17,  21; 
Zech.  ii:10,  11;  viii:3,  8).  His  rest  then  will  be  glorious 
(Is.  xi:10).  When  that  time  comes  and  the  Lord  of  Glory 
has  come  back  to  earth  again,  all  the  promised  blessings  for 
Israel,  the  nations  and  for  all  creation  will  be  realized. 

Then  His  holy  name  will  no  longer  be  defiled  and  the 
nation  will  be  ashamed  of  all  their  past  history  of  rebellion 
and   abomination.*     The  prophet  is  therefore  commanded 

*"The  carcases  of  their  kings"  may  either  mean  that  some  of  their 
idolatrous  kings  had  been  buried  within  the  bounds  of  the  Solomonic 
temple,  or,  the  word  kings  may  refer  to  their  idols,  which  had  dominion 
over  them  (Is.  xxvi:13).  The  latter  may  be  the  right  meaning  for  the 
high  place  mentioned. 


306  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

to  set  before  the  people  the  house  in  its  measured  pattern, 
so  that  they  might  know  what  a  gracious  Lord  has  prepared 
for  them,  what  He  will  yet  do  for  His  people.  It  is  to  lead 
them  to  repentance,  to  acknowledgement  of  their  guilt 
and  shame  over  their  iniquities.  Such  will  be  the  case 
in  the  day  of  their  restoration  when  these  things  will  be 
accomplished. 

When  this  house  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  is  established 
all  will  be  most  holy.  His  people  will  be  righteous  and  holy 
and  all  Jerusalem  with  this  sanctuary  will  be  holy  unto  the 
Lord  (Zech.  xiv:20-21).  This  is  "the  Most  Holy"  of  Daniel's 
prophecy  (Dan.  ix)  to  be  anointed  when  the  last  prophetic 
week  of  seven  years  has  expired. 

in.    The  Measurement  and  the  Ordinances  of  the  Altar. 

And  these  are  the  measures  of  the  altar  in  cubits:  The  cubit  is  a 
cubit  and  an  hand  breadth:  The  bottom  was  a  cubit,  and  the 
breadth  a  cubit,  and  its  border  thereof  on  the  edge  thereof  round 
about  shall  be  a  span:  and  this  was  the  base  of  the  altar.  And  from 
the  bottom^  upon  the  ground  to  the  lower  settle  was  two  cubits, 
and  the  breadth  a  cubit;  and  from  the  small  settle  to  the  great 
settle  four  cubits,  and  the  breadth  a  cubit.  So  the  altar  was  four 
cubits;  and  from  the  hearth  of  God  and  upward  were  four  horns. 
And  the  hearth  of  God  was  twelve  cubits  long,  twelve  broad,  square 
in  the  four  sides  thereof.  And  the  settle  was  fourteen  cubits  long 
and  fourteen  broad  in  the  four  sides  thereof;  and  the  border  about 
it  half  a  cubit;  and  the  bottom  thereof  a  cubit  about;  and  its  steps 
shall  look  toward  the  east.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man,  thus 
saith  the  Lord  Jehovah:  These  are  the  ordinances  of  the  altar 
in  the  day  when  they  shall  make  it,  to  offer  burnt  offerings  thereon, 
and  to  sprinkle  blood  thereon.  And  thou  shalt  give  to  the  priests 
the  Levites  that  be  of  the  seed  of  Zadok,  which  approach  unto  me, 
to  minister  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  a  young  bullock  for  a 
sin  offering.  And  thou  shalt  take  of  its  blood,  and  put  it  on  the 
four  horns  of  it,  and  on  the  four  corners  of  the  settle,  and  upon 
the  border  round  about:  thus  shalt  thou  cleanse  and  purge  it. 
Thou  shalt  take  the  bullock  of  the  sin  offering,  and  it  shall  be  burned 
in  the  appointed  place  of  the  house,  without  the  sanctuary.   And  on 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  307 

the  second  day  thou  shalt  offer  a  kid  of  the  goats  without  blemish  for 
a  sin  offering;  and  they  shall  purge  the  altar,  as  they  did  purge  it 
with  the  bullock.  When  thou  hast  made  an  end  of  purging  it,  thou 
shalt  offer  a  young  bullock  without  blemish,  and  a  ram  out  of  the 
flock  without  blemish.  And  thou  shalt  offer  them  before  Jehovah, 
and  the  priests  shall  cast  salt  upon  them,  and  they  shall  offer  them 
up  for  a  burnt  offering  unto  Jehovah.  Seven  days  shalt  thou 
prepare  every  day  a  goat  for  a  sin  offering:  they  shall  also  prepare 
a  young  bullock,  and  a  ram  out  of  the  flock,  without  blemish. 
Seven  days  shall  they  purge  the  altar  and  purify  it;  and  they  shall 
consecrate  it.  And  when  these  days  are  expired,  it  shall  be,  that 
upon  the  eighth  day  and  so  forward,  the  priests  shall  make  your 
burnt  offerings  upon  the  altar,  and  your  peace  offerings;  and  I 
will  accept  you,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah  (verses  13-27). 

The  altar  which  is  now  described  in  its  measurement, 
was  previously  mentioned  in  chapter  xl:47.  The  altar 
according  to  this  description,  is  composed  of  four  square 
layers  (probably  stones)  one  above  another,  decreasing  in 
extent  and  increasing  in  thickness;  the  top  is  a  square  of 
twelve  cubits.  This  is  called  "the  altar  hearth"  or  "the 
hearth  of  God."  The  three  words  translated  in  the  au- 
thorized version  by  altar  are  not  the  same  in  the  original. 
In  verse  13  the  word  is  "mizbeach."  This  word  is  used  many 
times  in  the  Hebrew  Bible;  it  means  "slaughter-place." 
In  verse  15  two  words  are  used  which  are  nowhere  else 
found  in  connection  with  an  altar.  The  one  is  "T/ar^/," 
which  means  "the  mountain  of  God;"  and  the  other  "/?nV/," 
the  meaning  of  this  is  different  from  Ariel  in  Isa.  xxix:i* 
when  it  is  used  for  Jerusalem  as  "the  Hon  of  God."  Gesen- 
ius  translated  it  "the  hearth,"  and  still  better  is  "the  hearth 
of  God."  Upward  from  this  hearth  were  four  horns.  The 
Septuagint  gives  the  height  of  these  horns  as  one  cubit 
each.     While  in  Exodus  xx:25  steps  are  prohibited  for  the 


*The  word  "Ariel"  as  used  in  Ezekiel  has  one  more  letter  than  the 
word  in  Isaiah  xzix. 


308  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

altar,  this  altar  has  steps  which  look  toward  the  east.  This 
great  burnt  offering  altar,  standing  in  the  center  of  the  inner 
court  before  the  house,  will  be  the  central  place  of  worship 
in  this  future  temple. 

The  ordinances  of  this  burnt  offering  altar  in  that  future 
day  are  given  to  the  prophet,  the  Lord  Jehovah  addressing 
Ezekiel  as  "Son  of  Man."  Burnt  offerings  will  be  brought 
upon  it  and  blood  sprinkled.  The  priests,  the  Levites  of 
the  seed  of  Zadok*  will  minister  unto  the  Lord  Jehovah. 
What  is  first  described  is  a  kind  of  consecration  or  dedication 
of  this  burnt  offering  altar,  after  which  the  general  sacrifices 
begin  (verse  27).  First  a  young  bullock  is  brought  for  a 
sin  offering  and  the  blood  is  applied  to  the  altar  and  the 
four  horns.  For  seven  days  these  offerings  for  purging  and 
cleansing  continue  and  with  the  eighth  day  the  burnt 
offerings  and  peace  offerings  are  to  be  made  by  the  people. 

But  what  do  these  ordinances  mean.^  Here  are  priests 
again  standing  before  an  altar,  bringing  bloody  sacrifices, 
burnt  offerings,  sin  offerings  and  peace  offerings.  Is  this  to 
be  taken  literally  also.^  Some  expositors  have  stated 
that  all  this  had  a  meaning  in  the  past  and  could  only  be 
true  in  connection  with  the  second  temple.  Others  attempt 
to  read  into  it  a  spiritual  meaning.  All,  or  nearly  all  com- 
mentators think  it  inconceivable  that  such  sacrifices  could 
ever  be  brought  again  in  a  future  temple.  Those  expositors 
who  combat  the  premillennial  coming  of  the  Lord  and  the 
literal  restoration  of  Israel,  consider  the  supposed  impos- 
sibility of  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  this  part  of  Ezekiel's 
visions,  the  collapse  of  the  premillennial  argument. 

Sacrifices  of  bulls  and  goats  were  brought  by  Israel  in  their 
past  history;  the  Lord  commanded  His  people  to  do  this. 

*Zadok  means  "just."  He  was  the  successor  of  Abiathar  in  the 
priesthood — the  son  of  Ahitub  of  the  family  of  Eleazar  (2  Sam,  viii:17; 
1  Kings  ii:27,  35). 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  309 

Every  Christian  knows  that  these  sacrifices  foreshadowed 
the  work  of  Christ,  Plis  great  sacrifice  on  the  Cross.  In 
themselves  these  sacrifices  Israel  brought  could  not  take 
away  sins,  nor  give  rest  to  the  conscience,  nor  could  they 
make  the  worshipper  perfect.  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
demonstrates  this  fully. 

All  these  sacrifices  had  a  prospective  character,  looking 
forward  to  the  work  of  the  Cross.  And  when  the  Lamb 
of  God  died,  when  His  blessed  lips  uttered  the  never-to-be- 
forgotten  words,  "It  is  finished,"  and  God's  hand  rent  the  veil 
from  top  to  bottom,  the  prospective  character  of  these 
sacrifices  were  forever  ended.  The  new  and  living  way  into 
God's  presence,  into  the  Holiest,  had  been  made  by  His 
blood.  During  this  age  Israel  has  no  temple  and  all  their 
Levitical  ordinances  can  no  longer  be  practised  by  them. 
As  Hosea  declared  they  are  without  a  sacrifice  (Hos.  iii:4). 

God,  during  this  age,  our  present  age,  which  began  with 
the  rejection  of  Christ  by  Israel  and  ends  with  His  Return, 
is  gathering  a  heavenly  people,  the  church.  The  church 
has  for  its  worship  no  earthly  place,  no  temple,  but  worships 
in  spirit  and  in  truth,  in  a  heavenly  sanctuary.  There  are 
no  sacrifices,  priests,  altars,  in  connection  with  the  true 
church,  the  body  of  Christ.  Christ  is  all.  He  is  the  sac- 
rifice, the  priest,  and  the  altar.  That  the  enemy  has  pro- 
duced upon  Christian  ground  a  ritualism  which  is  aped 
after  the  Jewish  system  and  which  denies  as  such  the  Gospel 
and  Christianity,  is  well  known.  They  have  invented  altars, 
and  sacrifices  and  priests.  This  is  the  Judaizing  of  the 
church,  "the  other  Gospel  which  is  not  another,"  upon 
which  the  Spirit  of  God  has  pronounced  the  curse  of  God 
(Gal.  i).  The  day  is  coming  when  the  Lord  will  deal  in 
judgment  with  the  apostate  church  which  denies  His  Son 
and  His  work,  while  His  true  church  will  be  taken  to  the 
place  which  He  has  prepared. 


310  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

When  the  true  church  is  no  longer  on  earth  and  the  apos- 
tate church  is  left  behind  to  plunge  into  the  great  apostasy, 
then  the  Jews  will  partially  be  restored  in  unbelief.  When 
they  get  back  to  the  land  they  will  put  up  another  temple 
in  which  they  bring  again  bloody  sacrifices.  These  will  be 
an  abomination  in  the  sight  of  God.  Let  us  hear  what 
Isaiah  reveals  about  this  time:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  the 
heaven  is  my  throne  and  the  earth  is  my  footstool:  where 
is  the  house  that  ye  will  build  unto  me.''  and  where  is  the 
place  of  my  rest.f*  For  all  those  things  hath  mine  hand  made 
and  all  those  things  have  been,  saith  the  Lord.  But  to 
this  man  will  I  look,  that  is  poor  and  of  a  contrate  spirit, 
and  trembleth  at  my  word.  He  that  killeth  an  ox  is  as  if 
he  slew  a  man;  he  that  sacrificeth  a  lamb,  as  if  he  cut  off 
a  dog's  neck;  he  that  offereth  an  oblation,  as  if  he  offered 
swine's  blood;  he  that  burneth  incense,  as  if  he  blessed 
an  idol.  Yea,  they  have  chosen  their  own  ways,  and  their 
soul  delighteth  in  their  abomination"  (Isaiah  lxvi:l-3). 
The  entire  last  chapter  of  Isaiah  shows  that  the  future  is 
in  view.  The  Jews  have  returned  to  their  land  and  have 
resumed  their  ancient  worship.  In  their  midst  is  also  a 
believing  remnant  (verse  5)  who  suffer  and  are  cast  out. 
The  Lord  looking  down  from  heaven  and  beholding  the 
sacrifices  they  bring  despises  them,  for  they  are  an  abomina- 
tion in  His  sight,  because  they  reject  Christ  and  His  sacri- 
fice. This  temple  worship  will  be  made  possible  by  the 
coming  prince,  the  little  horn  of  Daniel  vii,  who  will  make 
a  covenant  with  the  unbelieving  portion  of  the  nation. 
In  the  middle  of  the  last  seven  years  (Dan.  ix:26)  he  will 
break  that  covenant.  Then  appears  the  beast  out  of  the 
earth  (Rev.  xiii:ll),  the  false  Messiah,  and  takes  his  place 
in  that  temple,  demanding  divine  worship,  claiming  to 
be  God  (2  Thess.  ii). 

At  the  end  of  the  three  and  one-half  years  which  consti- 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  311 

tute  the  great  tribulation,  the  Lord  is  suddenly  manifested. 
Of  this  Isaiah  speaks  also.  The  unbelieving  Jews  sneer 
at  the  believing  remnant:  "Let  the  Lord  be  glorified!" 
The  Spirit  of  God  gives  them  the  assurance,  "but  He 
shall  appear  to  your  joy  and  they  shall  be  ashamed."  "A 
voice  of  noise  from  the  city,  a  voice  from  the  temple,  a 
voice  of  the  Lord  that  rendereth  recompense  to  His  enemies" 
(verse  6).  These  words  describe  His  manifestation.  After 
this  comes  the  restoration  of  Israel.  The  apostates  who 
worshipped  the  Beast  will  be  punished.  The  temple  Ezekiel 
describes  will  then  be  built  and  Israel  is  now  at  last  the 
kingdom  of  priests  and  a  holy  nation  (Exod.  xix:6).  The 
new  covenant  promised  to  them  will  then  be  ratified  (Jere, 
xxxi:31-34). 

Their  great  temple  will  be  more  than  their  place  of  wor- 
ship; it  will  be  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  nations.  Let  us 
listen  again  to  Isaiah's  great  testimony.  "The  sons  of  the 
stranger,  that  join  themselves  to  the  Lord,  to  serve  Him, 
and  to  love  the  name  of  the  Lord,  to  be  His  servants, 
every  one  that  keepeth  the  Sabbath*  from  polluting  it,  and 
taketh  hold  of  my  covenant;  even  them  (Gentiles)  will 
I  bring  to  my  holy  mountain,  and  make  them  joyful  in  my 
house  of  prayer;  their  burnt  offerings  and  their  sacrifices 
shall  be  accepted  upon  mine  altar;  for  mine  house  shall 
be  called  an  house  of  prayer  for  all  people.  The  Lord 
God  who  gathereth  the  outcasts  of  Israel  saith.  Yet  will 
I  gather  others  to  him,  beside  those  that  are  gathered 
unto  Him"  (Is.  lvi:6-8).  All  this  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  church  or  the  present  dispensation  of  grace.  It  is  a 
prophecy  of  the  kingdom,  the  age  to  come,  the  dispensation 
of  the  fullness  of  times. 


*The  sects,  like  Seventh  Day  Baptists,  Adventists,  etc.,  quote  this 
passage.  They  are  utterly  wrong  for  this  has  nothing  whatever  to 
do  with  the  present  age. 


312  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

So  let  us  understand  that  the  millennial  temple  will  be  the 
great  center  of  earthly  worship  during  the  reign  of  the 
King  of  Kings.  In  that  temple  sacrifices  will  be  brought 
again.  The  ancient  worship  of  Israel  will  be  resumed  and 
that  in  a  way  as  Israel  never  enjoyed  it  in  the  past.  To 
deny  the  literalness  of  these  sacrifices  does  violence  to  the 
Word  of  God.  Ezekiel  is  not  the  only  prophet  who  tells 
us  of  this.  One  of  the  strongest  passages  is  found  in  Jere- 
miah. Speaking  of  the  coming  reign  of  Christ,  Jeremiah 
tells  us,  "In  those  days  shall  Judah  be  saved  and  Jerusalem 
shall  dwell  safely,  and  this  is  the  name  wherewith  she  shall 
be  called.  The  Lord  our  Righteousness.  For  thus  saith 
the  Lord,  David  shall  never  want  a  man  to  sit  upon  the 
throne  of  the  house  of  Israel,  Neither  shall  the  priests, 
the  Levites  want  a  man  before  Me  to  offer  burnt  offerings, 
and  to  kindle  meal  offerings,  and  to  do  sacrifice  continually" 
(Jere.  xxxiii:15-18).  Why  then  should  It  be  an  impossible 
thing  that  literal  sacrifices  are  brought  again. ^ 

But  what  is  the  meaning  and  the  purpose  of  these  animal 
sacrifices.^  The  answer  is  quite  simple.  While  the  sacri- 
fices Israel  brought  once  had  a  prospective  meaning,  the 
sacrifices  brought  in  the  millennial  temple  have  a  retro- 
spective meaning.  When  during  this  age  God's  people 
worship  in  the  appointed  way  at  His  table,  with  the  bread 
and  wine  as  the  memorial  of  His  love,  it  is  a  retrospect. 
We  look  back  to  the  Cross.  We  show  forth  His  death. 
It  is  "till  He  comes."  Then  this  memorial  feast  ends 
forever.  Never  again  will  the  Lord's  Supper  be  kept  after 
the  Saints  of  God  have  left  the  earth  to  be  with  the  Lord 
in  glory.  The  resumed  sacrifices  will  be  the  memorial  of 
the  Cross  and  the  whole  wonderful  story  of  the  redemption 
for  Israel  and  the  nations  of  the  earth,  during  the  kingdom 
reign  of  Christ.  And  what  a  memorial  it  will  be!  What  a 
meaning  these  sacrifices  will  have!     They  will  bring  to  a 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  313 

living  remembrance  everything  of  the  past.  The  retrospect 
will  produce  the  greatest  scene  of  worship,  of  praise  and 
adoration  this  earth  has  ever  seen.  All  the  Cross  meant 
and  the  Cross  has  accomplished  will  be  recalled  and  a 
mighty  "Hallelujah  Chorus"  will  fill  the  earth  and  the 
heavens.  The  sacrifices  will  constantly  remind  the  peoples 
of  the  earth  of  Him  who  died  for  Israel,  who  paid  the  re- 
demption price  for  all  creation  and  whose  glory  now  covers 
the  earth  as  the  waters  cover  the  deep.  And  above  in  the 
New  Jerusalem,  where  the  throne  of  the  Lamb  is,  the  Saints 
in  glory  sing  their  Hallelujah  (Ps.  cxlix:5). 

I.    The  Outer  Eastern  Gate  and  the  Prince. 
Chapter  xliv. 

Then  he  brought  me  back  the  way  of  the  gate  of  the  outward 
sanctuary  which  looketh  toward  the  east;  and  it  was  shut.  Then 
said  the  Lord  unto  me;  This  gate  shall  be  shut,  it  shall  not  be 
opened,  and  no  man  shall  enter  in  by  it;  because  the  Lord,  the  God 
of  Israel,  hath  entered  in  by  it,  therefore  it  shall  be  shut.  It  is  for 
the  prince;  the  prince,  he  shall  sit  In  it  to  eat  bread  before  the  Lord; 
he  shall  enter  by  the  way  of  the  porch  of  that  gate,  and  shall  go 
out  by  the  way  of  the  same  (verses  1-3). 

In  the  previous  chapter  the  prophet  was  in  the  inner  court 
(xliii:5).  It  was  there  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  and 
received  the  message  and  saw  the  great  altar  and  its  ordi- 
nances. From  the  inner  court  he  is  led  back  by  the  man 
to  the  eastern  gate.  This  gate  he  finds  no  longer  open. 
As  they  arrived  it  was  shut.  The  last  time  that  gate  was 
seen  it  was  open,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  entered  through 
this  eastern  gateway.  The  reason  why  this  gate  is  to  be 
shut  is  stated  by  the  Lord  in  His  address  to  Ezekiel.  "Then 
said  the  Lord  unto  me;  This  gate  shall  be  shut,  it  shall  not  be 
opened,  and  no  man  shall  enter  in  by  it;  because  the  Lord, 
the  God  of  Israel,  hath  entered  in  by  it,  therefore  shall  it 
be  shut."    The  Lord  who  entered  with  His  glory  is  the  Son 


314  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

of  God,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  here  His  full  glory  is 
made  known.  He  is  the  Lord,  the  God  of  Israel,  He  "whose 
goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old,  from  everlasting"  (Micah 
v:2).  The  gate  is  now  to  serve  another  purpose.  "It  is 
for  the  prince;  the  prince,  he  shall  sit  in  it  to  eat  bread  before 
the  Lord;  he  shall  enter  by  the  way  of  the  porch  of  that 
gate,  and  shall  go  out  by  the  way  of  the  same."  Who  is 
this  prince.''  Some  say  that  this  prince  is  the  Lord  Him- 
self. Our  Lord  is  repeatedly  called  a  prince  (Isaiah  ix:6,  7 
lv:4*;  Dan.  ix:25;  Rev.  i:5).  In  chapters  xxxiv  and  xxxvii 
Messiah,  Christ,  is  meant  by  the  One  Shepherd  "My  servant 
David,"  who  will  be  King  and  Prince  over  them.  But  now 
In  the  closing  chapters  of  this  book  a  prince  is  mentioned 
seventeen  times.  But  not  once  is  he  spoken  of  as  "David" 
or  "my  servant  David."  This  prince  is  not  the  Messiah, 
our  Lord;  nor  is  he  the  high  priest  as  others  claim.  The 
best  evidence  that  this  prince  is  not  Christ  is  learned  from 
the  ordinances  he  is  to  observe  as  revealed  in  chapter  xlvi, 
where  we  read  that  he  is  to  worship  himself  and  that  he 
must  bring  burnt  offerings  and  peace  offerings;  we  also  read 
of  this  prince  having  sons.  All  this  shows  that  the  prince 
is  not  identical  with  the  Lord.  Who  is  he  then.''  He  is 
the  viceregent  of  the  King,  a  future  prince  of  the  house  of 
David,  who  will  represent  the  Lord  on  earth.  David's 
throne  will  be  established  In  Jerusalem.  The  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  will  reign  supreme  over  all;  His  throne  is  above  the 
earth  in  the  New  Jerusalem.  He  will  visit  the  earth  and 
manifest  His  glory  as  King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.  This 
probably  will  be  during  the  great  celebrations  of  the  feast  of 
Tabernacles,  when  the  nations  send  their  representatives 
to  Jerusalem  to  worship  the  King,  the  Lord  of  Hosts  (Zech. 
xlv:16).    Upon  David's  throne  will  sit  this  prince  of  David 


*The  Hebrew  word  translated  "leader"  is  "prince." 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  315 

as  viceregent.  The  enemy  anticipating  this  has  counter- 
feited this  vice-regency  in  the  spurious  claims  of  the  Roman 
pope. 

This  prince  as  the  vice-regent,  has  to  enter  by  the  way 
of  the  porch  of  the  eastern  gateway,  and  he  must  also  go 
out  the  same  way  (see  also  xlvi:2-8.) 

II.  Concerning  the  Strangers  and  the  Levites  in  Relation 
to  the  Temple  Worship. 

Then  brought  he  me  the  way  of  the  north  gate  before  the  house 
and  I  looked,  and,  behold,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  house  of 
the  Lord;  and  I  fell  upon  my  face.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  me, 
Son  of  man,  mark  well,  and  behold  with  thine  eyes,  and  hear  with 
thine  ears  all  that  I  say  unto  thee  concerning  all  the  ordinances  of 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  all  the  laws  thereof;  and  mark  well  the 
entering  in  of  the  house,  with  every  going  forth  of  the  sanctuary. 
And  thou  shalt  say  to  the  rebellious,  even  to  the  house  of  Israel, 
Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  O  ye  house  of  Israel,  let  it  suffice  you  of 
all  your  abominations.  In  that  ye  have  brought  into  my  sanc- 
tuary strangers,  uncircumcised  in  heart,  and  uncircumcised  in 
flesh,  to  be  in  my  sanctuary,  to  pollute  it,  even  my  house,  when 
ye  oflFer  my  bread,  the  fat  and  the  blood,  and  they  have  broken  my 
covenant  because  of  all  your  abominations.  And  ye  have  not 
kept  the  charge  of  mine  holy  things:  but  ye  have  set  keepers  of 
my  charge  in  my  sanctuary  for  yourselves. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  No  stranger,  uncircumcised  in  heart, 
nor  uncircumcised  in  flesh,  shall  enter  into  my  sanctuary,  of  any 
stranger  that  is  among  the  children  of  Israel.  And  the  Levites  that 
are  gone  away  from  me,  when  Israel  went  astray,  which  went 
astray  away  from  me  after  their  idols;  they  shall  even  bear  their 
iniquity.  Yet  they  shall  be  ministers  in  my  sanctuary,  having 
charge  at  the  gates  of  the  house,  and  ministering  to  the  house: 
they  shall  slay  the  burnt  offering  and  the  sacrifice  for  the  people, 
and  they  shall  stand  before  them  to  minister  unto  them.  Because 
they  ministered  unto  them  before  their  idols,  and  caused  the 
house  of  Israel  to  fall  into  iniquity;  therefore  have  I  lifted  up  mine 
hand  against  them,  saith  the  Lord  God,  and  they  shall  bear  their 
iniquity.  And  they  shall  not  come  near  unto  me,  to  do  the  office 
of  a  priest  unto  me,  not  to  come  near  to  any  of  my  holy  things,  in 


316  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

the  most  holy  place;  but  they  shall  bear  their  shame,  and  their 
abominations  which  they  have  committed.  But  I  will  malce 
them  keepers  of  the  charge  of  the  house,  for  all  the  service  thereof, 
and  for  all  that  shall  be  done  therein,     (verses  4-14). 

Brought  again  through  the  north  gate  of  the  inner  court, 
the  prophet  is  face  to  face  with  the  glory  of  the  Lord  which 
filled  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  Ezekiel  fell  on  his  face. 
Then  the  Lord  addressed  him.  He  Is  to  mark  well  what 
he  sees  and  what  he  hears  concerning  the  ordinances  and 
the  laws  of  the  house  of  the  Lord.  The  temple  is  now 
repeatedly  called  the  house  of  the  Lord,  the  place  where 
His  glory  dwells,  exalted  above  the  hills,  to  which  the  nations 
shall  come  (Isaiah  ii:2).  Israel  in  this  message  is  reminded 
of  the  past.  They  were  a  rebellious  house.  This  was  the 
burden  of  the  opening  messages  of  the  prophet  (chapter 
ii,  etc.).  But  now  all  must  be  and  will  be  different.  The 
abominations  of  the  past,  the  pollution  of  His  house  and  all 
else  will  now  be  put  away.  "Let  it  suffice  you  of  all  your 
abominations."  They  will  no  longer  be  tolerated,  nor  will 
converted  Israel  backslide  again.  He  reminds  them  of 
their  sinful  past  and  of  the  demands  of  holiness  for  His 
house;  all  abominations  and  failures  will  cease.  Uncircum- 
cised  in  heart  and  in  flesh  shall  not  enter  into  the  sanctuary 
of  the  Lord.  Zechariah  bears  the  same  testimony:  "In 
that  day  there  shall  be  no  more  the  Canaanite  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord  of  hosts"  (Zech.  xiv:21).  His  people  will  then 
be  holy;  their  new  birth  has  taken  place,  the  uncircumcised, 
stony  heart  is  taken  away  and  His  Spirit  is  poured  out  upon 
them  (chapter  xxxvi;25-27). 

Verses  10-14  concern  the  Levites;  they  are  to  bear  their 
iniquity  and  be  degraded  as  to  their  office.  What  Levites 
are  meant,  and  when  did  they  go  away  from  the  Lord.^  It 
cannot  mean  past  generations  of  Levites.  The  offence 
must  have  been  committed  by  them  before  the  Lord  appeared 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  317 

in  glory.  It  must  be  explained  by  what  happened  among 
the  people  before  the  Lord  came,  during  the  days  of  the 
false  Messiah.  At  that  time  Israel  will  go  far  astray  from 
the  Lord  and  turn  again  to  idols.  In  this  apostasy  the 
Levites  have  a  share.  "They  ministered  unto  them  before 
their  idols  and  caused  the  house  of  Israel  to  fall  into  iniquity." 
When  the  Lord  comes,  when  their  sins  are  forgiven  and  they 
are  cleansed,  the  Lord  will  deal  accordingly  with  these 
Levites  as  announced  in  these  verses.  They  shall  bear 
their  iniquity  for  their  unfaithfulness.  "They  shall  not 
come  near  unto  me,  to  do  the  office  of  a  priest  unto  me,  nor 
to  come  near  to  any  of  my  holy  things,  in  the  most  holy;  but 
they  shall  bear  their  shame,  and  their  abominations  which 
they  have  committed."  Yet  there  will  be  service  for  them. 
"But  I  will  make  them  keepers  of  the  charge  of  the  house, 
for  all  the  service  thereof,  and  for  all  that  shall  be  done 
therein." 

III.     Concerning  the  Priests,  the  sons  of  Zadok,  and  their 
Duties. 

But  the  priests,  the  Levites,  the  sons  of  Zodok,  that  kept  the 
charge  of  my  sanctuary  when  the  children  of  Israel  went  astray 
from  me,  they  shall  come  near  to  me  to  minister  unto  me,  and 
they  shall  stand  before  me  to  offer  unto  me  the  fat  and  the  blood, 
saith  the  Lord  God:  They  shall  enter  into  my  sanctuary,  and 
they  shall  come  near  to  my  table,  to  minister  unto  me,  and  they 
shall  keep  my  charge. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  when  they  enter  in  at  the  gates 
of  the  inner  court,  and  they  shall  be  clothed  with  linen  garments; 
and  no  wool  shall  come  upon  them,  whiles  they  minister  in  the 
gates  of  the  inner  court,  and  witJiin.  They  shall  have  linen 
bonnets  upon  their  heads,  and  shall  have  linen  breeches  upon  their 
loins;  they  shall  not  gird  themselves  with  anything  that  causeth 
sweat.  And  when  they  go  forth  into  the  outer  court,  even  into 
the  outer  court  to  the  people,  they  shall  put  off  their  garments 
wherejn  they  ministered,  and  lay  them  in  the  holy  chambers,  and 
they  shall  put  on  other  garments;  and  they  shall  not  sanctify  the 


318  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

people  with  their  garments.  Neither  shall  they  shave  their  heads, 
nor  suffer  their  locks  to  grow  long;  they  shall  only  poll  their  heads. 
Neither  shall  any  priest  drink  wine,  when  they  enter  into  the  inner 
court.  Neither  shall  they  take  for  their  wives  a  widow,  nor  her 
that  is  put  away:  but  they  shall  take  maidens  of  the  seed  of  the 
house  of  Israel,  or  a  widow  that  had  a  priest  before.  And  they 
shall  teach  my  people  the  difference  between  the  holy  and  profane, 
and  cause  them  to  discern  between  the  unclean  and  the  clean.  And 
in  controversy  they  shall  stand  in  judgment;  and  they  shall  judge 
it  according  to  my  judgments:  and  they  shall  keep  my  laws  and 
m}^  statutes  in  all  mine  assemblies;  and  they  shall  hallow  my 
sabbaths.  And  they  shall  come  at  no  dead  person  to  defile  them- 
selves; but  for  father,  or  for  mother,  or  for  son,  or  for  daughter, 
for  brother,  or  for  sister  that  hath  had  no  husband,  they  may 
defile  themselves.  And  after  he  is  cleansed,  they  shall  reckon 
unto  him  seven  days.  And  in  the  day  that  he  goeth  into  the 
sanctuary,  unto  the  inner  court,  to  minister  in  the  sanctuary, 
he  shall  offer  his  sin  offering,  saith  the  Lord  God.  And  it  shall  be 
unto  them  for  an  inheritance:  I  am  their  inheritance;  and  ye  shall 
give  them  no  possession  in  Israel:  I  am  their  possession.  They 
shall  eat  the  meat  offering,  and  the  sin  offering,  and  the  trespass 
offering;  and  every  dedicated  thing  in  Israel  shall  be  theirs.  And 
the  first  of  all  the  first  fruits  of  all  things  and  every  oblation  of  all 
of  every  sort  of  your  oblations,  shall  be  the  priests':  ye  shall  also 
give  unto  the  priest  the  first  of  your  dough,  that  he  may  cause 
the  blessing  to  rest  in  thine  house.  The  priests  shall  not  eat 
of  any  thing  that  is  dead  of  itself,  or  torn,  whether  it  be  fowl 
or  beast  (verses  15-31). 

The  sons  of  Zadok  kept  the  charge,  they  were  faithful 
when  the  children  of  Israel  went  astray,  and  the  Lord  is  now 
announcing  the  reward  for  their  faithfulness.  The  earthly 
priesthood  as  it  was  once  is  re-established  and  vested  in  the 
sons  of  Zadok.  These  are  to  come  near  unto  Jehovah  and 
offer  in  His  presence.  How  they  are  to  come  in,  the  gar- 
ments they  shall  wear,  is  made  known  to  the  prophet.  They 
are  not  to  shave  their  heads,  "neither  shall  any  priest  drink 
wine,  when  they  enter  into  the  inner  court."  They  are 
forbidden  to  take  for  wives  a  widow  or  one  that  has  been 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  319 

put  away.  Maidens  of  Israel  or  a  priest's  widow  they  could 
marry.  All  this  will  be  literally  fulfilled  and  done  when  this 
new  and  true  worship  is  instituted  in  the  coming  age.  It 
has  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  our  age.  No  such  special 
class  of  an  earthly  priesthood  exists  during  this  age  of  grace. 
All  believers  constitute  a  holy  and  a  royal  priesthood;  the 
priests  of  ritualistic  Christendom  are  an  invention.  But 
when  the  Lord  has  restored  Israel  to  their  land  and  this 
great  place  of  worship  stands,  priestly  ministrations  will  be 
resumed.  Neither  will  this  be  a  denial  of  Him  who  is  priest 
forever  after  the  order  of  Melchizedec.  While  the  spurious, 
man-made  priesthood  of  this  Christian  age  denies  the  Lord 
and  His  finished  work,  the  future  priesthood  ministering 
in  the  millennial  temple  will  glorify  Him. 

These  priests  will  also  be  teachers  and  exercise  judicial 
authority  (verses  23-24).  The  law  of  defilement  will 
be  enforced,  though  there  will  be  less  possibility  of  such 
defilement,  for  death  during  the  millennium  will  not  be  the 
rule  as  it  is  now,  but  a  rare  and  exceptional  occurrence. 
Fnally  we  read  of  the  inheritance  of  the  priests  who  minis- 
ter before  the  Lord.  "I  am  their  inheritance,  and  ye  shall 
give  them  no  possession  in  Israel;  I  am  their  possession." 
While  many  of  these  appointments  in  priestly  ministry 
during  the  millennium  are  obscure  to  us  who  enjoy  the 
heavenly  things,  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  Lord  in  His 
own  time  "in  that  day"  will  bring  about  the  accomplishment 
of  all  He  has  spoken. 

Chapter  xlv. 

I.  The  Holy  Portion  of  the  Land  for  the  Sanctuary,  the 
Priests,  the  Levites,  the  City  and  the  Prince. 

Moreover  v/hen  ye  shall  divide  by  lot  the  land  for  inheritance, 
ye  shall  offer  an  oblation  unto  the  Lord,  an  holy  portion  of  the 
land:  the  length  shall  be  the  length  of  five  and  twenty  thousand 
reeds,  and  the  breadth  shall  be  ten  thousand.     This  shall  be  holy 


320  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

in  all  the  borders  thereof  round  about.  Of  this  there  shall  be  for  the 
sanctuary  five  hundred  in  length,  with  five  hundred  in  breadth, 
square  round  about;  and  fifty  cubits  round  about  for  the  suburbs 
thereof.  And  of  this  measure  shalt  thou  measure  the  length  of 
five  and  twenty  thousand,  and  the  breadth  of  ten  thousand: 
and  in  it  shall  be  the  sanctuary  and  the  most  holy  place.  The 
holy  portion  of  the  land  shall  be  for  the  priests  the  ministers  of  the 
sanctuary,  which  shall  come  near  to  minister  unto  the  Lord:  and 
it  shall  be  a  place  for  their  houses,  and  an  holy  place  for  the 
sanctuary.  And  the  five  and  twenty  thousand  of  length,  and  the 
ten  thousand  of  breadth,  shall  also  the  Levites,  the  ministers  of 
the  house,  have  for  themselves,  for  a  possession  for  twenty  chambers. 

And  ye  shall  appoint  the  possession  of  the  city  five  thousand 
broad,  and  five  and  twenty  thousand  long,  over  against  the  oblation 
of  the  holy  portion:   it  shall  be  for  the  whole  house  of  Israel. 

And  a  portion  shall  be  for  the  prince  on  the  one  side  and  on  the 
other  side  of  the  oblation  of  the  holy  portion,  and  of  the  possession 
of  the  city,  before  the  oblation  of  the  holy  portion,  and  before  the 
possession  of  the  city,  from  the  west  side  westward,  and  from  the 
east  side  eastward:  and  the  length  shall  be  over  against  one  of  the 
portions,  from  the  west  border  unto  the  east  border.  In  the  land 
shall  be  his  possession  in  Israel:  and  my  princes  shall  no  more 
oppress  my  people;  and  the  rest  of  the  land  shall  they  give  to  the 
house  of  Israel  according  to  their  tribes  (verses  1-8). 

The  land  possessed  will  be  divided  by  lot  for  the  inheritance 
of  the  people.  The  special  territorial  division  for  the  different 
tribes  is  recorded  in  the  last  two  chapters.  They  are  to  bring 
an  oblation  of  the  land  which  the  Lord  so  graciously  restored 
unto  them.  The  word  "oblation"  is  literally  an  "heave- 
offering,"  because  when  anything  was  offered  to  Jehovah 
the  offerer  raised  the  hand.  The  dimensions  of  the  holy 
portion  of  the  land  are,  in  length  25,000,  and  in  breadth 
10,000.  But  what.'*  The  Hebrew  has  no  definite  measure. 
The  authorized  version  supplies  the  word  "reeds,"  which 
seems  to  be  correct  in  view  of  the  statement  in  chapter 
xlii:16.*     This  is  a  very  large  territory,  a  square  of  some 

*Kead  our  comment  on  this  verse. 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  321 

sixty  miles  on  each  side.  The  topography  of  Palestine  will 
be  entirely  changed  in  the  coming  age,  as  we  pointed  out 
before.  The  land  is  to  be  greatly  enlarged,  while  the  temple- 
mountain  will  be  highly  exalted.  These  changes  will  make 
all  possible  which  we  read  in  these  closing  chapters.  We 
must  take  these  chapters  in  faith,  knowing  that  the  omni- 
potent Lord  will  accomplish  all  in  his  own  time.  In  the  center 
of  this  large  area,  the  holy  portion  of  the  Lord,  will  be  the 
sanctuary;  the  measurement  is  given  in  verse  2.  Around 
this  the  priests  have  their  portion;  there  they  will  have  their 
houses.  The  estate  of  the  Levites  comes  next;  the  measure- 
ment is  given,  and  that  they  shall  have  for  possession 
twenty  chambers.  The  Septuagint  has  "cities  to  dwell  in," 
habitations  where  they  will  reside.  This  is  undoubtedly 
the  correct  meaning.  Then  the  measurement  of  the  city  is 
given,  which  is  for  the  whole  house  of  Israel.  Finally  the 
portion  of  the  Prince  is  recorded.  "And  the  Prince  shall 
have  his  portion  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  side  of  the 
holy  oblation,  and  of  the  possession  of  the  city  over  against 
the  holy  oblation,  and  over  against  the  possession  of  the 
city,  from  the  west  side  westward,  and  from  the  east  side 
eastward;  and  in  length  answering  to  one  of  the  portions 
of  the  tribes  from  the  west  border  unto  the  east  border." 
From  this  we  learn  that  the  estate  of  the  Prince  consists  of 
two  halves,  the  one  on  the  west  and  the  other  on  the  east 
of  the  holy  portion.  He  stands  as  the  head  and  ruler  in 
closest  connection  with  the  sanctuary.  It  is  all  a  new 
order  and  will  be  brought  about  when  the  Lord  has  come 
back,  and  when  Israel  is  restored  to  the  land.  They  never 
possessed  such  a  holy  portion  in  the  land,  nor  such  a  sanc- 
tuary. A  spiritual  application  as  to  the  Church  is  impossible 
to  make;  the  literal  interpretation  is  the  only  possible 
one  which  can  be  made. 


322  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

ni.    Exhortation  Addressed  to  the  Princes. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  Let  it  suffice  you,  O  princes  of  Israel: 
remove  violence  and  spoil,  and  execute  judgment  and  justice,  take 
away  your  exactions  from,  my  people,  saith  the  Lord  God.  Ye 
shall  have  just  balances,  and  a  just  ephah,  and  a  just  bath.  The 
ephah  and  the  bath  shall  be  of  one  measure,  that  the  bath  may 
contain  the  tenth  part  of  an  homer,  and  the  ephah  the  tenth  part 
of  an  homer:  the  measure  thereof  shall  be  after  the  homer.  And  the 
shekel  shall  be  twenty  gerahs:  twenty  shekels,  five  and  twenty 
shekels,  fifteen  shekels,  shall  be  your  maneh*   (verses  9-12). 

The  princes  who  used  to  oppress  the  people,  shall  no  longer 
oppress  (verse  8).  They  are  to  execute  judgment  and  justice. 
Every  measure  is  to  be  just.  The  time  has  come  when 
righteousness  reigns,  "He  shall  judge  the  poor  of  the  people, 
he  shall  save  the  children  of  the  needy,  and  shall  break  in 
pieces  the  oppressor"  (Ps.  lxxii:4).  No  longer  will  the  poor 
be  down-trodden. 

IV.    The  Oblation  for  the  I*rince  and  His  Offerings. 

This  is  the  oblation  that  ye  shall  offer;  the  sixth  part  of  an  ephah 
of  an  homer  of  wheat,  and  ye  shall  give  the  sixth  part  of  an  ephah 
of  an  homer  of  barley:  Concerning  the  ordinance  of  oil,  the  bath 
of  oil,  ye  shall  offer  the  tenth  part  of  a  bath  out  of  the  cor,  which  is 
an  homer  of  ten  baths;  for  ten  baths  are  an  homer:  And  one  lamb 
out  of  the  flock,  out  of  two  hundred,  out  of  the  fat  pastures  of  Israel; 
for  a  meat  offering,  and  for  a  burnt  offering,  and  for  peace  offerings, 
to  make  reconciliation  for  them,  saith  the  Lord  God.  All  the 
people  of  the  land  shall  give  this  oblation  for  the  prince  in  Israel. 
And  it  shall  be  the  prince's  part  to  give  burnt  offerings,  and 
meat  offrings,  and  drink  offerings,  in  the  feasts,  and  in  the 
new  moons,  and  in  the  sabbaths,  in  all  solemnities  of  the 
house  of  Israel:  he  shall  prepare  the  sin  offering,  and  the  meat 
offering,  and  the  burnt  offering,  and  the  peace  offerings,  to  make 
reconciliation  for  the  house  of  Israel  (verses  13-17). 

What  the  ruling  Prince,  the  vice-regent  upon  the  throne 


*The  sixtieth  part  of  a  talent,  about  fifty  shekels. 


THE  PROPHET   EZEIKEL.  323 

of  David,  is  to  receive  from  the  people  is  stated  in  verses 
13-16.  The  part  of  the  Prince  is  to  give  burnt-offerings, 
meal  offerings,  drink  offerings,  at  the  different  feasts  and 
solemnities,  to  make  reconciliation  for  the  House  of  Israel. 
No  doubt  all  this  has  a  retrospective  value  and  meaning. 
These  sacrifices  and  offerings  commemorate  the  one  great 
sacrifice,  which  is  constantly  and  vividly  kept  in  full  view- 
by  these  ceremonies. 

V.  The  Two  Great  Feasts  Passover  and  the  Feast 
of  Tabernacles. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  In  the  first  month,  in  the  first  day  of 
the  month,  thou  shalt  take  a  young  bullock  without  blemish,  and 
cleanse  the  sanctuary:  And  the  priest  shall  take  of  the  blood  of 
the  sin  offering,  and  put  it  upon  the  posts  of  the  house,  and  upon 
the  four  corners  of  the  settle  of  the  altar,  and  upon  the  posts  of  the 
gate  of  the  inner  court.  And  so  thou  shalt  do  the  seventh  day 
of  the  month  for  every  one  that  erreth,  and  for  him  that  is  simple: 
so  shall  ye  reconcile  the  house.  In  the  first  month,  in  the  four- 
teenth day  of  the  month,  ye  shall  have  the  passover,  a  feast  of  seven 
days;  unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten.  And  upon  that  day  shall 
the  prince  prepare  for  himself  and  for  all  the  people  of  the  land  a 
bullock  for  a  sin  offering.  And  seven  days  of  the  feast  he  shall 
prepare  a  burnt  off^ering  to  the  Lord,  seven  bullocks  and  seven  rams 
without  blemish  daily  the  seven  days;  and  a  kid  of  the  goats  daily 
for  a  sin  offering.  And  he  shall  prepare  a  meat  offering  of  an  ephah 
for  a  bullock,  and  an  ephah  for  a  ram,  and  an  hin  of  oil  for  an  ephah. 
In  the  seventh  month,  in  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  month,  shall  he  do 
the  like  in  the  feast  of  the  seven  days,  according  to  the  sin  offering, 
according  to  the  burnt  offering,  and  according  to  the  meat  offering, 
and  according  to  the  oil   (verses  18-25). 

First  stands  the  cleansing  of  the  sanctuary  on  the  first  day 
of  the  first  month.  The  cleansing  of  the  sanctuary  therefore 
commences  the  year.  And  this  offering  of  a  young  bullock 
without  blemish  shows  forth  Christ  in  His  wonderful, 
unblemished  devotedness  as  He  suffered  once  for  sin.  The 
same  sacrifice  will  be  repeated  on  the  seventh  day,  and  it  is 


324  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

then  especially  for  everyone  that  erreth  and  for  him  that  is 
simple.  The  precious  blood  of  the  Lamb  of  God  is  thus 
constantly  kept  in  remembrance.  Two  great  feasts  will  be 
celebrated,  the  Passover  and  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 
These  are  the  feasts  of  the  Millennium.  Very  significantly 
the  feast  of  weeks,  that  is  Pentecost,  is  no  longer  mentioned. 
Dispensationally  the  Feast  of  Pentecost  typifies  the  coming 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  to  baptize  believing  Jews  and  Gentiles 
into  one  body.  Pentecost  ushered  in  this  present  age, 
and  during  its  course  the  Holy  Spirit  is  on  earth  fulfiling 
His  mission  in  calling  from  Jews  and  Gentiles  a  people  for 
His  name.  When  this  age  closes  with  the  great  predicted 
events  transpiring,  the  Spirit  of  God  has  finished  the  work 
for  which  He  came.  The  body  of  Christ  is  taken  home  to 
glory  and  united  with  the  Head.  It  is  true  the  Holy  Spirit 
will  yet  be  poured  out  upon  all  flesh  (Joel  ii:28)  but  the  dis- 
pensational  aspect  of  Pentecost  is  fulfilled  and  can  have  no 
such  meaning  in  millennial  times.* 

And  how  appropriate  it  is  that  only  Passover  and  the 
Feast  of  Tabernacles  are  celebrated  by  Israel  when  the  Lord 
has  come.  Passover  was  first  kept  in  Egypt;  its  precious 
meaning  is  well  known  to  all  Christians.  Redemption  by 
blood,  so  fully  realized  in  the  work  of  the  spotless  Lamb 
of  God,  is  blessedly  seen  in  the  Passover,  while  the  Feast 
of  Unleavened  Bread  reveals  the  purpose  of  redemption — 
redemption  unto  holiness.  Israel  observed  this  feast  in 
the  wilderness.  They  celebrated  it  when  they  had  come  into 
the  land;  then  under  Hezekiah  and  Josiah  it  was  recovered. 
During  their  long  dispersion  Israel  has  not  forgotten  this 


*The  Feasts  of  Jehovah — Passover:  The  Cross  and  its  work.  First 
Fruits:  Resurrection  of  Christ.  Pentecost:  The  Gift  of  the  Spirit 
and  the  calling  of  the  Church.  Feast  of  Trumpets:  The  Regathering 
of  Israel.  Day  of  Atonement:  Israel's  Cleansing.  Feast  of  Taber- 
nacles:  The  Millennium. 


THE  PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  325 

feast.  Though  with  judicial  blindness  upon  them,  eyes  that 
cannot  see  and  ears  that  cannot  hear,  the  people  keep  once 
a  year  the  Passover.  Longingly  the  orthodox  Jew  looks 
towards  the  land  of  promise  and  repeats  each  Passover 
night  the  pious  wish  "This  day  here;  next  year  in  Jerusalem." 
When  the  nation  is  regathered  and  the  Kingdom  is  established 
in  their  midst,  they  will  keep  this  Feast  anew.  What 
meaning  it  will  then  have!  What  memories  cluster  around 
it!  How  all  their  history  will  be  recalled  by  that  Feast — 
started  in  Egypt  and  consummated  in  the  Kingdom!  But 
the  observance  apart  from  the  unleavened  bread  is  different. 
The  Prince  and  all  the  people  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the 
first  month  are  identified  as  they  never  were  before,  in  a 
single  bullock  for  a  sin  offering,  while  every  day  for  seven 
days  the  Prince  prepares  a  complete  burnt  offering,  a  sign 
of  perfect  consecration  to  the  Lord.  What  praise  the  Lord, 
the  Lamb  of  God  enthroned  in  glory,  and  His  glory  covering 
the  earth,  will  receive  in  these  yearly  memorial  feasts. 

The  Feast  of  Tabernacles  is  the  second  great  feast.  It 
was  kept  by  Israel  when  the  harvest  and  the  vintage  had 
taken  place.  It  foreshadows  the  Millennium,  when  the 
harvest  and  the  vintage  (Rev.  xiv)  the  end  of  the  age  is 
passed  and  the  new  age,  the  age  of  glory,  has  come;  the 
great  ingathering  has  taken  place  and  the  prophetic  meaning 
of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  will  be  realized.  Zechariah 
xiv:16-21  tells  us  of  its  Millennial  celebration. 

Chapter  xlvi. 
I.    The  Worship  of  the  Prince. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  The  gate  of  the  inner  court  that 
looketh  toward  the  east  shall  be  shut  the  six  working  days;  but 
on  the  sabbath  it  shall  be  opened,  and  in  the  day  of  tne  new  moon 
it  shall  be  opened.  And  the  prince  shall  enter  by  the  way  of  the 
porch  of  that  gate  without,  and  shall  stand  by  the  post  of  the  gate, 
and  the  priests  shall  prepare  his  burnt  offering  and  his  peace  offer- 


326  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

ings,  and  he  shall  worship  at  the  threshold  of  the  gate:  then  he  shall 
go  forth;  but  the  gate  shall  not  be  shut  until  the  evening.  Like- 
wise the  people  of  the  land  shall  worship  at  the  door  of  this  gate 
before  the  Lord  in  the  sabbaths  and  in  the  new  moons.  And  the 
burnt  offering  that  the  prince  shall  offer  unto  the  Lord  in  the 
sabbath  day  shall  be  six  lambs  without  blemish,  and  a  ram  without 
blemish.  And  the  meat  offering  shall  be  an  ephah  for  a  ram, 
and  the  meat  offering  for  the  lambs  as  he  shall  be  able  to  give,  and 
an  hin  of  oil  to  an  ephah.  And  in  the  day  of  the  new  moon  it  shall 
be  a  young  bullock  without  blemish,  and  six  lambs,  and  a  ram: 
they  shall  be  without  blemish.  And  he  shall  prepare  a  meat 
offering,  an  ephah  for  a  bullock,  and  an  ephah  for  a  ram,  and  for 
the  lambs  according  as  his  hand  shall  attain  unto,  and  an  hin  of  oil 
to  an  ephah.  And  when  the  prince  shall  enter,  he  shall  go  in  by  the 
way  of  the  porch  of  that  gate,  and  he  shall  go  forth  by  the  way 
thereof    (verses  1-8). 

Here  another  worship  scene  of  the  Millennium  is  described. 
The  prominent  eastern  gate  is  to  be  closed  during  the  six 
working  days,  but  on  the  Sabbath  it  shall  be  opened,  as  well 
as  in  the  day  of  the  new  moon.  The  Sabbath  and  the  new 
moon  are  prominent  in  the  worship  of  the  Kingdom 
Age.  The  Sabbath  was  a  type  of  the  coming  rest 
for  the  people  of  Israel.*  This  rest  has  now  come. 
Their  wanderings  are  ended,  they  are  gathered  from 
the  East  and  from  the  West,  from  the  North  and  South, 
and  have  found  at  last  the  promised  rest  (Ps.  cvii:l-8). 
Therefore  the  Sabbath  is  especially  mentioned  in  connection 
with  worship.  On  the  seventh  day  the  gate  through  which 
the  Lord  and  His  glory  passed  is  opened  and  left  open  till 
the  evening.  The  six  working  days  (typical  of  6,000  years) 
are  forever  gone,  the  seventh  day,  the  seventh  thousand, 
the  Day  of  the  Lord,  has  come.  And  when  the  Millennium 
ends,  the  complete,  eternal  rest  comes  for  all  the  people  of 
God.    The  new  moon  is  typical  of  Israel's  re-establishment 

*When    it    speaks    of   "my  rest"  in  Hebrews  iv  it   refers    to    the 
eternal  rest. 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  327 

as  a  nation.    The  nation,  like  the  moon,  had  waned,  and  dis- 
appeared, but  now  she  shines  again  like  the  new  moon. 

The  Prince  is  to  worship  at  the  threshold  of  the  gate,  and 
the  people  before  the  gate.  But  neither  the  Prince  nor  the 
people  enter  within.  No  drawing  near  to  God  is  known 
then  as  we  now  enjoy  it  who  worship  in  the  Spirit  through  the 
rent  veil.  It  is  all  an  earthly  worship,  while  the  true  worship 
of  the  Church  is  heavenly.  The  Prince  in  this  worship  enters 
by  the  outer  door  on  the  side  of  the  east  and  he  goes  out 
by  the  same  door.  The  Prince  occupies  the  prominent  place 
as  the  representative  of  the  people.  He  presents  his  offerings 
to  Jehovah,  while  the  people  stand  as  worshippers  at  the 
outer  gate  of  the  same  entrance.  The  offerings  the  Prince 
is  to  bring  on  the  Sabbath  are  larger  than  those  commanded 
in  the  law.  Both  the  burnt-offering  and  the  meal  offering 
brought  by  him  on  the  Sabbath  are  more  abundant  than  those 
offered  under  the  old  dispensation,  an  evidence  of  the  higher 
and  more  perfect  worship  of  restored  Israel.  Different, 
however,  is  it  with  the  offering  on  the  new  moon.  In 
Numbers  xxviii:ll-15  we  read: 

And  in  the  beginnings  of  your  months  ye  shall  offer  a  burnt 
offering  unto  the  Lord;  two  young  bullocks,  and  one  ram,  seven 
lambs  of  the  first  year  without  spot;  And  three  tenth  deals  of  flour 
for  a  meal  offering,  mingled  with  oil,  for  one  bullock;  and  two 
tenth  deals  of  flour  for  a  meal  offering,  mingled  with  oilj  for  one 
ram;  And  a  several  tenth  deal  of  flour  mingled  with  oil  for  a  meal 
offering  unto  one  lamb;  for  a  burnt  offering  of  a  sweet  savour, 
a  sacrifice  made  by  fire  unto  the  Lord.  And  their  drink  offerings 
shall  be  half  an  hin  of  wine  unto  a  bullock,  and  the  third  part  of  an 
hin  unto  a  ram,  and  a  fourth  part  of  an  hin  unto  a  lamb:  this  is 
the  burnt  ofi"ering  of  every  month  throughout  the  months  of  the 
year.  And  one  kid  of  the  goats  for  a  sin  offering  unto  the  Lord 
shall  be  offered,  beside  the  continual  burnt  offering,  and  his  drink 
oft'ering. 

Such  are  the  offerings  according  to  the  law,  to  be  brought 


328  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

on  the  new  moon.  But  in  the  millennial  worship  these 
offerings  are  diminished.  All  this  has  a  deeper  meaning 
which  will  be  fully  known  and  enjoyed  when  this  worship 
is  carried  out. 

II.    Further  Instructions  as  to  Worship. 

But  when  the  people  of  the  land  shall  come  before  the  Lord  in  the 
solemn  feasts,  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  way  of  the  north  gate  to 
worship  shall  go  out  by  the  way  of  the  south  gate;  and  he  that 
entereth  by  the  way  of  the  south  gate  shall  go  forth  by  the  way 
of  the  north  gate;  he  shall  not  return  by  the  way  of  the  gate  where- 
by he  came  in,  but  shall  go  forth  over  against  it.  And  the  prince 
in  the  midst  of  them,  when  they  go  in,  shall  go  in; 
and  when  they  go  forth,  shall  go  forth.  And  in  the  feasts 
and  in  the  solemnities  the  meal  offering  shall  be  an  ephah 
to  a  bullock,  and  an  ephah  to  a  ram,  and  to  the  lambs  as  he  is  able  to 
give,  and  an  hin  of  oil  to  an  ephah.  Now  when  the  prince  shall  pre- 
pare a  voluntary  burnt  offering  or  peace  offerings  voluntarily 
unto  the  Lord,  one  shall  then  open  him  the  gate  that  looketh  toward 
the  east,  and  he  shall  prepare  his  burnt  offering  and  his  peace 
offerings,  as  he  did  on  the  sabbath  day:  then  he  shall  go  forth; 
and  after  his  going  forth  one  shall  shut  the  gate.  Thou  shalt  daily 
prepare  a  burnt  offering  unto  the  Lord  of  a  lamb  of  the  first  year 
without  belmish:  thou  shalt  prepare  it  every  morning.  And  thou 
shalt  prepare  a  meal  offering  for  it  every  morning,  the  sixth  part 
of  an  ephah,  and  the  third  part  of  an  hin  of  oil  to  temper  with  the 
fine  flour,  a  meal  offering  continually  by  a  perpetual  ordinance 
unto  the  Lord.  Thus  shall  they  prepare  the  lamb  and  the  meal 
offering,  and  the  oil,  every  morning  for  a  continual  burnt  offering. 
(verses  9-15.) 

Everything  is  divinely  ordered.  Here  are  first  the  special 
instructions  for  the  worship  of  the  people  of  the  land.  When 
they  come  before  the  Lord  in  the  solemn  feasts  some  will 
enter  in  to  worship  by  the  north  gate  and  leave  by  the  south 
gate,  and  others  who  enter  by  the  south  gate  will  leave  by  the 
way  of  the  north  gate.  None  is  permitted  to  leave  by  the  gate 
through  which  he  entered.  Perhaps  this  injunction  is  given 
to  avoid  confusion  among  the  multitudes  who  will  come  to 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  329 

worship  in  those  coming  days,  when  the  Lord  will  be  uni- 
versally acknowledged  (Zech.  xiv:9). 

In  the  midst  of  these  worshipping  masses  will  be  the 
Prince  (verse  10).  What  a  blessed  reminder  of  Him  who  is 
the  One  in  the  midst!  He  was  in  the  midst  on  Calvary; 
He  is  in  the  midst  of  His  people  during  this  age;  in  Revela- 
tion He  is  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  (Rev.  v:6).  The 
Prince  as  the  representative  of  the  King  of  kings  is  therefore 
in  the  midst  of  His  redeemed  earthly  Israel.  The  burnt- 
offering  and  the  meal  offering,  so  prominent  in  this  coming 
worship  are  constant  memorials  of  His  great  devotion  when 
He  offered  Himself,  and  of  His  holy,  spotless  humanity 
in  which  He  suffered  and  glorified  God. 

Something  else  of  deep  interest  is  recorded  here.  The  daily 
burnt-offerings  during  the  old  dispensation  consisted  of  a 
lamb  every  morning  and  of  a  lamb  every  evening.  Here  no 
evening  lamb  for  a  burnt-offering  is  mentioned,  but  the  offer- 
ings are  to  be  brought  only  during  the  mornings.  The 
bright  morning  has  come,  the  day  dawn  for  His  people, 
so  long  in  the  night  of  suffering  and  dispersion.  The  night 
is  gone  forever  and  therefore  the  evening,  preceding  the  night, 
is  no  longer  mentioned  and  no  provision  is  made  for  an 
evening  burnt-offering.  The  night  is  gone  and  Israel's 
glorious  morning  can  never  be  darkened  again  by  apostasy. 

III.     Concerning  the  Prince,  His  Sons  and  Servants. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  If  the  prince  give  a  gift  unto  any  of 
his  sons,  the  inheritance  thereof  shall  be  his  sons';  it  shall  be  their 
possession  by  inheritance.  But  if  he  give  a  gift  of  his  inheritance 
to  one  of  his  servants,  then  it  shall  be  his  to  the  year  of  liberty; 
after  it  shall  return  to  the  prince:  but  his  inheritance  shall  be  his 
sons'  for  them.  Morover  the  prince  shall  not  take  of  the  people's 
inheritance  by  oppression,  to  thrust  them  out  of  their  possession; 
but  he  shall  give  his  sons  inheritance  out  of  his  own  possession: 
that  my  people  be  not  scattered  every  man  from  his  possession 
(verses  16-18). 


330  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Here  we  read  that  the  Prince  has  sons,  natural  descendants, 
and  whatever  gifts  he  bestows  upon  them  shall  be  their 
possession  by  inheritance.  This  is  conclusive  that  the  Prince 
of  these  last  chapters  of  Ezekiel  is  not  Christ.  The  Prince 
has  sons  and  servants.  As  the  entire  final  vision  of  this 
book  deals  with  the  earthly  conditions  of  the  coming  age, 
and  reveals  nothing  of  the  heavenly  side  of  things,  these  sons 
and  servants  cannot  mean  the  church-saints,  who  are  with 
Christ  in  the  New  Jerusalem.  As  to  a  gift  to  one  of  the 
Prince's  servants,  it  is  to  revert  to  his  sons  when  the  year 
of  liberty  or  jubilee  is  celebrated.  The  jubilee  year  will 
therefore  be  observed  during  the  coming  age. 

IV.    Additional  Description  of  Temple  Buildings. 

After  he  brought  me  through  the  entry,  which  was  at  the  side  of 
the  gate,  into  the  holy  chambers  of  the  priests,  which  looked  toward 
the  north:  and,  behold,  there  was  a  place  on  the  two  sides  west- 
ward. Then  said  he  unto  me,  This  is  the  place  where  the  priests 
shall  boil  the  trespass  offering  and  the  sin  offering,  where  they  shall 
bake  the  meal  offering;  that  they  bear  them  not  out  into  the  utter 
court,  to  sanctify  the  people.  Then  he  brought  me  forth  into  the 
utter  court,  and  caused  me  to  pass  by  the  four  corners  of  the  court; 
and,  behold,  in  every  corner  of  the  court  there  was  a  court.  In  the 
four  corners  of  the  court  there  were  courts  joined  of  forty  cubits 
long  and  thirty  broad:  these  four  corners  were  of  one  measure. 
And  therewas  a  row  of  building  round  about  them,  round  about  them 
four,  and  it  was  made  with  boiling  places  under  the  rows  round 
about.  Then  said  he  unto  me,  These  are  the  places  of  them  that 
boil,  where  the  ministers  of  the  house  shall  boil  the  sacrifice  of  the 
people  (verses  19-24). 

Again  the  prophet  is  brought  by  the  northern  gate  to 
the  side  where  the  holy  chambers  of  the  priests  are  located. 
There  he  saw  a  place  on  the  two  sides  westward.  The  use 
of  this  place  is  made  known  in  Verse  20.  The  final  description 
of  buildings  round  about  the  court  needs  no  further  comment. 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  331 

THE  VISION  CONCERNING  THE  LAND. 
Chapter  xlvii. 

The  preceding  chapters  of  this  final  section  of  the  Book  of 
Ezekiel  contain  the  vision  of  the  Temple  and  its  worship. 
The  last  two  chapters  give  a  vision  of  Israel's  land  as  it  will 
be  during  the  coming  age. 

I.    The  Temple  Stream  and  its  Healing  Waters. 

Afterward  he  brought  me  again  unto  the  door  of  the  house; 
and,  behold,  waters  issued  out  from  under  the  threshold  of  the  house 
eastward:  for  the  forefront  of  the  house  was  the  east,  and  the 
waters  came  down  from  under  from  the  right  side  of  the  house, 
from  the  south  of  the  altar.  Then  brought  he  me  out  by  the 
way  of  the  gate  northward,  and  led  me  about  the  way  without  unto 
the  outer  gate  toward  the  gate  that  looketh  eastward;  and,  behold, 
there  ran  out  waters  on  the  right  side.  And  when  the  man  went 
forth  eastward,  he  had  a  line  in  his  hand,  and  he  measured  a  thous- 
and cubits,  and  he  brought  me  through  the  waters;  the  waters 
were  to  the  ankles.  Again  he  measured  a  thousand,  and  brought 
me  through  the  waters;  the  waters  were  to  the  knees.  Again  he 
measured  a  thousand,  and  brought  me  through;  the  waters  were 
to  the  loins.  Afterward  he  measured  a  thousand;  and  it  was  a  river 
that  I  could  not  pass  over:  for  the  waters  were  risen,  waters  to 
swim  in,  a  river  that  could  not  be  passed  over. 

And  he  said  unto  me.  Son  of  man,  hast  thou  seen  this?  Then  he 
brought  me,  and  caused  me  to  return  to  the  brink  of  the  river. 
Now  when  I  had  returned,  behold,  at  the  bank  of  the  river  were 
very  many  trees  on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other.  Then  said  he 
unto  me.  These  waters  issue  out  toward  the  east  country,  and  go 
down  into  the  desert,  and  go  into  the  sea:  which  being  brought  forth 
into  the  sea,  the  waters  shall  be  healed.  And  it  shall  come  to  pass, 
that  every  thing  that  liveth,  which  moveth,  whithersoever  the  rivers 
shall  come,  shall  live:  and  there  shall  be  a  very  great  multitude  of 
fish,  because  these  waters  shall  come  thither:  for  they  shall  be 
healed;  and  every  thing  shall  live  whither  the  river  cometh.  And 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  fishers  shall  stand  upon  it  from 
En-gedi  even  unto  En-eglaim;  they  shall  be  a  place  to  spread  forth 
nets;  their  fish  shall  be  according  to  their  kinds,  as  the  fish  of  the 
great  sea,  exceeding  many.     But  the  marshes  thereof  and  the  pools 


332  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

thereof  shall  not  be  healed:  they  shall  be  given  to  salt.  And  by  the 
river  upon  the  bank  thereof,  on  this  side  and  on  that  side,  shall  grow 
all  trees  for  meat,  whose  leaf  shall  not  fade,  neither  shall  the  fruit 
thereof  be  consumed:  it  shall  bring  forth  new  fruit  according  to  his 
months,  because  their  waters  they  issued  out  of  the  sanctuary: 
and  the  fruit  thereof  shall  be  for  meat,  and  the  leaf  thereof  for 
medicine  (verses  1-12). 

This  great  vision  of  the  Temple  stream  has  been  variously 
interpreted.  The  critical  school  has  treated  it  only  as  an 
imagery  of  the  prophet  and  speaks  of  the  physical  impos- 
sibility that  such  a  stream  could  ever  be  in  existence.* 
Others  have  spiritualized  the  vision.  A  leading  annotator 
states,  "Messiah  is  the  temple  and  the  door;  from  His 
pierced  side  flow  the  living  waters,  ever  increasing,  both 
in  the  individual  believer  and  in  the  heart."  In  this  spirit- 
ualizing method  the  waters  are  also  applied  to  the  reading 
and  study  of  the  Word  of  God.  The  same  commentator 
says  "some  things  in  the  Bible  are  easy  to  understand,  as 
the  water  up  to  the  ankles;  others  more  difficult,  which 
require  deeper  search,  as  the  waters  up  to  the  knees  and  the 
loins;  and  others  beyond  our  reach."  Such  applications 
can  be  made  in  different  ways.  The  stream  which  Ezekiel 
saw  is  more  than  typical  of  the  blessings  which  the  land  and 
all  the  earth  will  enjoy  in  the  coming  age.  It  is  a  literal 
stream.  There  will  be  a  great  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  for  the  age  to  come,  and  spiritual  blessings  will 
abound  everywhere.  But  the  stream  Ezekiel  beholds  tells 
of  the  physical  blessings  which  are  in  store  for  the  earth 
in  that  coming  day  of  the  restoration  of  all  things.  We  do 
not  need  to  trouble  ourselves  about  the  manner  in  which  the 


*One  says:  "The  double  impossibility  of  the  rapid  rise  of  water  in  the 
stream  and  the  course  of  the  river  across  the  steep  limestone  range 
east  of  Jerusalem  into  the  Dead  Sea  does  not  occur  to  the  prophet," 
As  if  Ezekiel  had  invented  fhisjvision. 


THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL.  333 

temple  stream  is  to  flow  forth,  nor  do  we  need  to  solve  the 
physical  difficulties.  When  the  Lord  of  Creation  was  on 
earth  in  humiliation,  and  walked  among  men  garbed  in 
servant's  form,  nature  acknowledged  Him  and  He  mani- 
fested the  Creator's  power.  What  will  it  be  when  He  comes 
again,  not  as  a  servant  to  die,  but  as  the  King  and  Lord  of 
all!  Omnipotence  will  then  be  displayed  to  the  full.  Is  there 
anything  too  hard  for  the  Lord.''  (Jere.  xxxii:27).  He  who 
bore  the  thorns  on  His  brow,  the  symbol  of  the  curse  which 
on  account  of  man's  sin  rests  upon  Creation,  will  remove 
that  curse  in  the  day  of  His  power.  He  paid  for  it  on  the 
cross. 

And  Ezekiel  was  not  the  only  prophet  to  whom  was 
revealed  the  physical  blessing  of  the  earth  in  the  life  and 
health  giving  stream.  Isaiah  had  the  same  vision.  "And 
the  parched  ground  shall  become  a  pool,  and  the  thirsty 
land  springs  of  water;  in  the  habitation  of  jackals  where 
each  lay  shall  be  grass  with  reeds  and  rushes"  (Is.  xxxv:7). 
"I  will  even  make  a  way  in  the  wilderness  and  rivers  in  the 
desert"  (Is.  xliii:19).  "Instead  of  the  thorn  shall  come  up 
the  fir  tree,  and  instead  of  the  brier  shall  come  up  the  myrtle 
tree"  (Is.  lv:13).  "The  desert  shall  blossom  like  the  rose" 
(Is.  xxxv.l).  Joel  at  the  close  of  his  great  vision  concerning 
the  still  future  day  of  Israel's  tribulation  and  the  judgment 
of  the  nations  following  the  time  of  trouble,  and  the  Lord's 
visible  manifestation,  also  speaks  of  the  blessings  of  the 
Millennium.  "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  that  day,  that 
the  mountains  shall  drop  down  new  wine,  and  the  hills 
shall  flow  with  milk,  and  all  the  rivers  of  Judah  shall  flow 
with  waters,  and  a  fountain  shall  come  forth  of  the  house  of 
the  Lord,  and  shall  water  the  valley  of  Shittim"  (Joel  iii:18). 
Joel,  one  of  the  earliest  prophets,  living  centuries  before 
Ezekiel,  saw  water  coming  forth  from  the  house  of  the 
Lprd  for  earthly  blessings.     Still  more  definite  is  the  great 


334  THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

post-exilic  prophet  Zechariah.  "And  it  shall  be  in  that  day, 
that  living  waters  shall  go  out  from  Jerusalem;  half  of  them 
toward  the  eastern  sea,  and  half  of  them  toward  the  hinder 
sea;  in  summer  and  in  winter  shall  it  be"  (Zech.  xiv:8). 
The  waters  Ezekiel  saw  issued  out  from  under  the  thres- 
hold, from  the  right  side  of  the  house,  the  southside  of  the 
altar.  Of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  a  similar  scene  is  recorded 
by  John  in  the  Revelation.  "And  he  showed  me  a  pure 
river  of  water  of  life,  clear  as  crystal,  proceeding  oul-  of  the 
throne  of  God  and  of  the  Lamb"  (Rev.  xxiirl).  The  stream 
has  its  origin  in  the  midst  of  the  millennial  temple.  There  is 
no  use  in  speculating  about  the  source  of  the  water  supply. 
It  is  super-natural.  He  who  said,  "Let  there  be  a  firmament 
in  the  midst  of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from 
the  waters"  (Gen.  i:6)  and  He  who  broke  open  all  the 
fountains  of  the  deep  when  His  judgment  came  on  the 
earth  (Gen.  vii:ll)  by  whose  power  also  the  smitten  rock 
in  the  wilderness  supplied  the  water  for  His  people,  He 
will  provide  from  His  inexhaustible  resources  the  life  giving 
stream.  And  the  waters  which  gush  forth  are  increasing 
in  volume;  the  stream  does  not  become  shallower  but 
deepens  in  its  flow.  It  is  not  like  a  natural  river  which  has 
its  source  in  a  spring  and  is  fed  by  brooks  and  rivers.  It  is 
a  miraculous,  unexplainable  self-supply  which  occasions  this 
increase.  A  thousand  cubits  are  measured  and  the  waters 
come  to  the  ankles  of  the  prophet.  The  next  thousand 
cubits  bring  the  waters  to  the  knees;  then  advancing  another 
thousand  cubits  the  waters  come  to  the  loins,  and  with 
the  fourth  thousand  they  become  so  deep  that  the  prophet 
could  not  fathom  them.  The  four  thousand  cubits  make 
about  a  mile  and  a  half,  so  that  the  prophet  had  advanced, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  man,  this  distance  from  Jerusalem 
in  a  southeastern  direction. 

He  is  caused  to  return  to  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  saw 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  335 

there  on  both  sides  many  trees.  These  trees  testify  of  the 
great  fertility  which  this  stream  will  produce  in  nature. 
Expositors  who  give  the  vision  a  purely  spiritual  meaning 
explain  the  trees  as  being  the  righteous  who  shall  flourish 
at  the  waterbrooks  (Psalm  i). 

The  man  informs  the  prophet  that  these  waters  go  toward 
the  east  country  and  go  down  into  the  desert.  The  word 
desert  in  Hebrew  is  "Arabah"  and  means  "plain,"  which  is 
the  plain  of  Jordan.  It  signifies  a  parched,  dry  place. 
Jordan  is  the  type  of  death,  and  the  sea  of  salt,  the  Dead 
Sea,  into  which  Jordan  flows,  also  signifies  death.*  And  now 
in  the  Dead  Sea  this  living  water  from  the  temple  flows,  and 
healing  is  the  blessed  result.  Where  death  has  reigned  so  long 
abundant  life  now  is  manifested.  Sodom  is  restored  to  its 
former  estate  (See  chapter  xvi).  Wheresoever  the  waters 
go  life  follows  at  once.  "There  shall  be  a  very  great  multitude 
of  fish,  because  these  waters  shall  come  thither,  for  they  shall 
be  healed;  and  everything  shall  live  whither  the  river 
Cometh.  The  fishers  shall  stand  up  from  Engedi  unto 
En-eglaim."  En-gedi  is  on  the  one  end  and  En-eglaim  at 
the  other  end  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Yet  there  will  be  marshes 
and  pools  which  remain  unhealed;  their  former  condition 
is  unchanged.  It  has  been  suggested  that  this  is  done  for 
the  production  of  salt.  But  it  is  rather  a  reminder  that  while 
the  coming  age  is  an  age  of  wonderful  blessing,  that  it  is  not 
yet  the  perfect,  eternal  age.  And  the  trees  v/ill  be  ever 
green,  never  failing,  providing  meat  by  their  abundant 
fruit  and  the  leaf  is  for  medicine.  It  shows  the  gracious 
provision  made  for  man  living  on  the  earth  during  the  age  to 
come.    Poverty,  famine  and  sickness  will  be  banished. 


*Ps.  lxviii:4  has  this  word  "Arabah;"  in  the  Authorized  Version 
it  is  translated  "heaven."  It  is  in  the  plural,  "Araboth" — "Cast  up 
the  way  for  him  that  rideth  in  Araboth" — the  places  of  death.  Christ 
is  seen  prophetically  as  the  Conqueror  of  death  and  Sheol. 


336  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

II.  The  Borders  of  the  Land. 

Thus  saith  the  Lord  God;  This  shall  be  the  border,  whereby  ye 
shall  inherit  the  land  according  to  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel: 
Joseph  shall  have  two  portions.  And  ye  shall  inherit  it,  one  as 
well  as  another:  concerning  the  which  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  to  give 
it  unto  your  fathers:  and  this  land  shall  fall  unto  you  for  inheritance. 
And  this  shall  be  the  border  of  the  land  toward  the  north  side,  from 
the  great  sea,  the  way  of  Hethlon,  as  men  go  to  Zedad:  Hamath, 
Berothah,  Sibraim,  which  is  between  the  border  of  Damascus  and 
the  border  of  Hamath;  Hazar-hatticon,  which  is  by  the  coast  of 
Hauran.  And  the  border  from  the  sea  shall  be  Hazar-enan,  the 
border  of  Damascus,  and  the  north  northward,  and  the  border  of 
Hamath.  And  this  is  the  north  side.  And  the  east  side  ye  shall 
measure  from  Hauran,  and  from  Damascus,  and  from  Gilead,  and 
from  the  land  of  Israel  by  Jordan,  from  the  border  unto  the  east 
sea.  And  this  is  the  east  side.  And  the  south  si-de  southward, 
from  Tamar  even  to  the  waters  of  strife  in  Kadesh,  the  river  to  the 
great  sea.  And  this  Is  the  south  side  southward.  The  west  side 
also  shall  be  the  great  sea  from  the  border,  till  a  man  come  over 
against  Hamath.  This  is  the  west  side.  So  shall  ye  divide  this 
land  unto  you  according  to  the  tribes  of  Israel  (verses  13-21). 

Little  comment  is  needed  on  these  verses.  That  the  literal 
land  and  the  literal  tribes  are  meant,  no  intelligent  readers 
can  deny.  The  twelve  tribes  are  then  back  in  the  land.  The 
so-called  "lost  tribes"  are  united  with  the  house  of  Judah. 
Here  the  borders  are  given.  Joseph  has  two  portions. 
God  is  faithful.  He  has  not  forgotten  His  gracious  promises 
of  old.  "And  ye  shall  inherit  it,  one  as  well  as  another, 
concerning  which  I  lifted  up  mine  hand  (in  oath)  to  give  it 
unto  your  fathers;  and  this  land  shall  fall  unto  your  in- 
heritance." The  whole  land  is  to  be  divided  according  to 
the  tribes  of  Israel. 

III.  Concerning  the  Stranger  in  the  Land. 

And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  ye  shall  divide  it  by  lot  for  an 
inheritance  unto  you,  and  to  the  strangers  that  sojourn  among  you, 
which  shall  beget  children  among  you:   and  they  shall  be  unto  you 


THE  PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  337 

as  born  in  the  country  among  the  children  of  Israel;  they  shall 
have  inheritance  with  you  among  the  tribes  of  Israel.  And  it  shall 
come  to  pass,  that  in  what  tribe  the  stranger  sojourneth,  there  shall 
ye  give  him  his  inheritance,  saith  the  Lord  God    (verses  22-23). 

Here  is  a  provision  for  the  strangers.  They  are  no  longer 
to  be  treated  as  outcasts,  as  aliens  from  the  commonwealth 
of  Israel;  they  are  seen  fully  identified  with  Israel  and  share 
the  inheritance.  This  again  confirms  other  prophecies 
(See  Isaiah  lx:l-10.)  The  strangers  shall  come  and  build 
the  walls,  and  join  themselves  to  Israel.  The  singing  times 
for  Israel  have  come.  No  longer  will  the  chosen  people  be 
the  tail  of  nations,  but  the  head  of  all  nations.  "Sing  and 
rejoice,  O  daughter  of  Zion,  for,  lo,  I  come,  and  I  will  dwell 
in  the  midst  of  thee,  saith  the  Lord.  And  many  nations 
shall  be  joined  to  the  Lord  in  that  day  and  shall  be  my 
people,  and  I  will  dwell  in  the  midst  of  thee."  .... 
(Zech.  ii:10-12).  No  longer  will  the  Jew  be  despised,  but 
the  strangers,  the  nations,  will  beseech  him  to  take  them  to 
the  glory  land.  "Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  In  those  days 
it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  ten  men  out  of  all  languages  ofthe 
nations  shall  take  hold,  even  shall  take  hold  of  the  skirt 
of  him  that  is  a  Jew,  saying.  We  will  go  with  you,  for  we 
have  heard  that  God  is  with  you"  (Zech.  viii:23). 


PLAN  OF  THE  DIVISION  OF  THE  LAND. 

NORTH 

DAN 
ASHER 


NAPHTALI 


IAN/\SSEH 


EPHRAI 


REUBEN 


JUDAH 


LEVITES 


PI^IESTS 


PI^IESTS 


BENJAMIN 


SIMEON 


SSf\CHf\R 


ZEBULUN 


Gf\D 


SOUTH 

A=The  Sanctuary  and  its  Area.  C^The  Possession  of  the  Prince. 

B^The  City  of  Jerusalem.  D=The  Entire  Oblation. 

a-b-c-d=Territory  belonging  to  City. 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  341 

THE  PORTION  OF  THE  TRIBES;    THE  TERRITORY 

OF  THE  OBLATION;  THE  CITY,  ITS  GATES  AND 

NEW  NAME. 

Chapter  xlviii. 
I.    The  portion  of  Seven  Tribes. 

Now  these  are  the  names  of  the  tribes.  From  the  north  end  to 
the  coast  of  the  way  of  Hethlon,  as  one  goeth  to  Hamath,  Hazar- 
enan,  the  border  of  Damascus  northward,  to  the  coast  of  Hamath; 
for  these  are  his  sides  east  and  west;  a  portion  for  Dan.  And  by 
the  border  of  Dan,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west  side,  a  portion 
for  Asher.  And  by  the  border  of  Asher,  from  the  east  side  even 
unto  the  west  side,  a  portion  for  Naphtali.  And  by  the  border  of 
Naphtali,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west  side,  a  portion  for 
Manasseh.  And  by  the  border  of  Manasseh,  from  the  east  side  unto 
the  west  side,  a  portion  for  Ephraim.  And  by  the  border  of 
Ephraim,  from  the  east  side  even  unto  the  west  side,  a  portion 
for  Reuben.  And  by  the  border  of  Reuben,  from  the  east  side 
unto  the  west  side,  a  portion  for  Judah. 

And  by  the  border  of  Judah,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west 
side,  shall  be  the  offering  which  ye  shall  offer  of  five  and  twenty 
thousand  reeds  in  breadth,  and  in  length  as  one  of  the  other 
parts,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west  side:  and  the  sanctuary 
shall  be  in  the  midst  of  it  (verses  1-8). 

The  division  of  the  land  to  the  twelve  tribes,  then  fully 
restored,  is  by  lot  (xlvii:22)  but  the  disposing  of  it  will  be 
by  the  Lord  (Prov.  xvi:33).  The  order  is  entirely  diiferent 
from  the  one  found  in  the  Book  of  Joshua  (Josh,  xv-xix). 
Up  to  the  time  of  the  carrying  away  of  the  ten  tribes  and  the 
captivity  of  Judah,  the  tribes  possessed  the  territory  assigned 
to  them  by  lot  when  they  entered  the  land  under  Joshua. 
The  ten  tribes  never  returned  from  the  captivity,  and  there- 
fore the  division  of  the  land  as  given  here  has  never  been  in 
the  history  of  Israel.  It  is  future.  The  division  is  in  twelve 
portions  all  alike  in  dimensions,  running  alongside  of  each 
other,  from  west  to  east.     Seven  tribes  are  in  the  north, 


342  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

and  five  in  the  south.  Between  the  seven  tribes  in  the  north 
and  the  tribes  in  the  south  is  the  oblation,  the  heave  offering, 
the  portion  of  the  prince,  the  Levites  and  the  priests,  the 
Temple  and  the  city  with  its  surrounding  territory.  The 
tribe  of  Dan  has  its  portion  in  the  extreme  north.  It  is  the 
furthest  away  from  the  sanctuary.  Dan  was  a  corrupt 
tribe,  semi-heathen  (Judges  xviii).  Dan  is  not  mentioned 
among  the  sealed  one  in  Revelation  vii.  All  the  other 
tribes  are  placed  in  a  different  order  from  the  former  position. 

II.    The  Oblation;  the  Remaining  Tribes. 

The  oblation  that  ye  shall  offer  unto  the  Lord  shall  be  of  five  and 
twenty  thousand  in  length,  and  of  ten  thousand  in  breadth.  And 
for  them,  even  for  the  priests,  shall  be  this  holy  oblation;  toward 
the  north  five  and  twenty  thousand  in  length,  and  toward  the  west 
ten  thousand  in  breadth,  and  toward  the  east  ten  thousand  in 
breadth,  and  toward  the  south  five  and  twenty  thousand  in  length: 
and  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord  shall  be  in  the  midst  thereof. 
It  shall  be  for  the  priests  that  are  sanctified  of  the  sons  of  Zadok; 
which  have  kept  my  charge,  which  went  not  astray  when  the 
children  of  Israel  went  astray,  as  the  Levites  went  astray.  And 
this  oblation  of  the  land  that  is  offered  shall  be  unto  them  a  thing 
most  holy  by  the  border  of  the  Levites.  And  over  against  the 
border  of  the  priests  the  Levites  shall  have  five  and  twenty 
thousand  in  length,  and  ten  thousand  in  breadth:  all  the  length 
shall  be  five  and  twenty  thousand,  and  the  breadth  ten  thousand. 
And  they  shall  not  sell  of  it,  neither  exchange,  nor  alienate  the  first- 
fruits  of  the  land:   for  it  is  holy  unto  the  Lord. 

And  the  five  thousand,  that  are  left  in  the  breadth  over  against 
the  five  and  twenty  thousand,  shall  be  a  profane  place  for  the  city, 
for  dwelling,  and  for  suburbs:  and  the  city  shall  be  in  the  midst 
thereof.  And  these  shall  be  the  measures  thereof;  the  north 
side  four  thousand  and  five  hundred,  and  the  south  side  four 
thousand  and  five  hundred,  and  on  the  east  side  four  thousand 
and  five  hundred,  and  the  west  side  four  thousand  and  five 
hundred.  And  the  suburbs  of  the  city  shall  be  toward  the  north 
two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  toward  the  south  two  hundred  and 
fifty,  and  toward  the  east  two  hundred  and  fifty,  and  toward  the 
west  two  hundred  and  fifty.     And  the  residue  in  length  over  against 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  343 

the  oblation  of  the  holy  portion  shall  be  ten  thousand  eastward, 
and  ten  thousand  westward:  and  it  shall  be  over  against  the 
oblation  of  the  holy  portion;  and  the  increase  thereof  shall  be  for 
food  unto  them  that  serve  the  city.  And  they  that  serve  the  city 
shall  serve  it  out  of  all  the  tribes  of  Israel.  All  the  oblation  shall 
be  five  and  twenty  thousand  by  five  and  twenty  thousand:  ye 
shall  offer  the  holy  oblation  foursquare,  v/ith  the  possession  of  the 
city. 

And  the  residue  shall  be  for  the  prince,  on  the  one  side  and  on  the 
other  of  the  holy  oblation,  and  of  the  possession  of  the  city,  over 
against  the  five  and  twenty  thousand  of  the  oblation  toward  the 
east  border,  and  westward  over  against  the  five  and  twenty 
thousand  toward  the  west  border,  over  against  the  portions  for  the 
prince:  and  it  shall  be  the  holy  oblation;  and  the  sanctuary  of  the 
house  shall  be  in  the  midst  thereof.  Moreover  from  the  possession 
of  the  Levites,  and  from  the  possession  of  the  city,  being  in  the 
midst  of  that  which  is  the  prince's,  between  the  border  of  Judah 
and  the  border  of  Benjamin,  shall  be  for  the  prince.  As  for  the  rest 
of  the  tribes,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west  side,  Benjamin  shall 
have  a  portion.  And  by  the  border  of  Benjamin,  from  the  east  side 
unto  the  west  side,  Simeon  shall  have  a  portion.  And  by  the  border 
of  Simeon,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west  side,  Issachar  a  portion. 
And  by  the  border  of  Issachar,  from  the  east  side  unto  the  west 
side,  Zebulun  a  portion.  And  by  the  border  of  Zebulun,  from 
the  east  side  unto  the  west  side.  Gad  a  portion.  And  by  the  border 
of  Gad,  at  the  soyth  side  southward,  the  border  shall  be  even  from 
Tamar  unto  the  waters  of  strife  in  Kadesh,  and  to  the  river  toward 
the  great  sea.  This  is  the  land  which  ye  shall  divide  by  lot  unto 
the  tribes  of  Israel  for  inheritance,  and  these  are  their  portions, 
saith  the  Lord  God  (verses  9-29). 

Judah's  portion  on  the  north  and  Benjamin's  portion  on  the 
south  border  are  an  oblation,  that  which  is  offered  unto  the 
Lord.  In  this  space  of  large  dimensions  are  the  portions  of  the 
Levites  and  the  priests.  The  Temple  stands  in  the  middle  of 
the  portion  of  the  priests,  and  adjoining  is  the  holy  city 
and  its  territory.*  The  Prince  has  his  portion  on  both  sides 
of  the  oblation,  the  heave  offering.    That  Judah  and  Ben- 

*Consult  sketch. 


344  THE   PROPHET  EZEKIEL. 

jamin  are  bordering  on  these  holy  sections  is  not  without 
meaning,  Judah  is  the  royal  tribe.  He  who  is  now  wor- 
shipped by  His  restored  people  is  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah,  Israel's  King.  Judah  means  "praise".  He  receives 
the  praises  of  His  people.  Benjamin's  other  name  was 
Benoni,  "the  son  of  suffering"  and  Benjamin  is  "the  son  of 
the  right  hand,"  Both  Judah  and  Benjamin  are  a  reminder 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

It  is  impossible  to  explain  fully  the  measurements  given 
and  other  details  of  this  chapter.  We  believe  what  God  has 
written,  and  when  the  time  has  come  He  will  surely  see  to 
it  that  all  is  done  according  to  His  word.  We  do  not  need 
to  trouble  ourselves  with  supposed  difficulties  or  try  to 
solve  them.  As  stated  before  in  this  exposition,  Israel's 
land  will  undergo  a  wonderful  change  when  the  Lord  comes; 
these  physical  changes  are  unknown  to  us  in  their  extent. 
The  division  of  the  land,  and  the  setting  apart  of  the  oblation 
will  then  take  place.  The  details  in  all  these  visions  are  of 
little  importance  to  us.  The  main  fact  is  to  see  that  all  these 
prophecies  have  remained  unfulfilled  up  to  now.  Nor  will 
they  be  fulfilled  during  the  present  age.  As  every  judgment 
prediction  of  the  prophecies  of  Ezekiel,  uttered  before  the 
destruction  of  Jerusalem,  was  fulfilled,  so  every  prediction 
of  glory  and  blessing  in  the  prophecies  spoken  after  the 
destruction  of  the  city  will  be  fulfilled.  It  all  awaits  His 
coming  and  glorious  appearing.  Let  us  hold  fast  this  and 
leave  the  accomplishment  of  every  detail  to  the  Lord, 

ni.    The  Gates  of  the  City  and  its  new  Name. 

And  these  are  the  goings  out  of  the  city  on  the  north  side, 
four  thousand  and  five  hundred  measures.  And  the  gates  of  the 
city  shall  be  after  the  names  of  the  tribes  of  Israel:  three  gates 
northward;  one  gate  of  Reuben,  one  gate  of  Judah,  one  gate  of  Levi. 
And  at  the  east  side  four  thousand  and  five  hundred:  and  three 
gates;   and  one  gate  of  Joseph,  one  gate  of  Benjamin,  one  gate  of 


THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL.  345 

Dan.  And  at  the  south  side  four  thousand  and  five  hundred 
measures:  and  three  gates;  one  gate  of  Simeon,  one  gate  of 
Issachar,  one  gate  of  Zebulun.  At  the  west  side  four  thousand 
and  five  hundred,  with  their  three  gates;  one  gate  of  Gad,  one  gate 
of  Asher,  one  gate  of  Naphtali.  It  was  round  about  eighteen  thou- 
sand measures:  and  the  name  of  the  city  from  that  day  shall  be. 
The  Lord  is  there   (verses  30-35). 

The  city,  the  earthly  Jerusalem,  during  the  Kingdom  age' 
will  have  twelve  gates,  after  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel* 
The  gates  on  the  north  side  are  the  gates  of  Reuben,  Judah 
and  Levi.  The  gates  on  the  east  are  those  of  Joseph,  Ben- 
jamin and  Dan.  Then  the  gates  on  the  south — gates  of 
Simeon,  Issachar  and  Zebulun.  The  west  side  gates  are 
the  gates  of  Gad,  Asher  and  Naphthali.  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh  are  no  longer  mentioned,  but  are  represented 
in  Joseph.  Some  expositors  have  made  the  statement  that 
the  city,  Jerusalem  with  its  gates,  is  an  Old  Testament 
description  of  the  same  Jerusalem  which  John  beheld  in  the 
isle  of  Patmos  (Rev.  xxi).  John  saw  the  new  Jerusalem, 
Ezekiel  the  earthly  city  as  it  will  exist  during  the  Millennium. 
There  are  correspondencies,  and  yet  greater  distinctions. 
Here  in  Ezekiel  a  Temple  is  the  center  of  the  land;  in 
Revelation  we  read  the  seer's  word,  "I  saw  no  temple  therein" 
(Rev.  xxi. -22).  The  heavenly  Jerusalem,  like  the  earthly 
Jerusalem  in  Ezekiel's  vision,  has  the  twelve  gates  and 
written  on  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 
The  wall  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  has  twelve  foundations, 
and  in  them  the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 
No  wall  and  no  foundations  are  mentioned  by  Ezekiel  in 
connection  with  the  millennial  Jerusalem.  The  heavenly 
Jerusalem  is  four  square,  "the  length  and  the  breadth  and 
the  height  of  it  are  equal."  Such  is  not  the  case  with  the 
earthly  city.  Nor  is  there  mention  made  by  Ezekiel  of  the 
precious  stones,  and  the  twelve  gates,  composed  every  gate 
of  one  pearl;   nor  do  we  read  of  golden  streets.    The  earthly 


346  THE   PROPHET   EZEKIEL. 

Jerusalem  will  pass  away,  and  when  at  last  the  new  heaven 
and  the  new  earth  have  come  into  existence,  after  the 
millennial  reign  of  Christ,  the  new  Jerusalem  will  descend 
out  of  heaven  and  find  its  eternal  resting  place  upon  the  new 
earth. 

The  circumference  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  according  to 
Ezekiel's  vision  will  be  18,000  reeds,  about  six  miles.  Then 
comes  the  majestic  ending,  the  last  word  the  man  of  God  pro- 
nounced. "And  the  name  of  that  city  from  that  day  shall  be 
'Jehovah  Shammah',  the  Lord  is  there."  It  is  a  fitting  finale  to 
this  great  Book.  In  its  beginning  we  see  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
departing.  Throughout  the  pages  of  the  Book  we  read  of 
Israel's  rebellion,  Jerusalem's  judgments,  the  nation's  dis- 
obedience and  rejection.  Then  follow  the  messages  of  Hope 
— Israel's  conversion,  the  regathering  of  the  twelve  tribes, 
the  final  conflict,  the  returning  glory  of  the  Lord;  and  from 
that  day  the  name  of  the  city  will  be  Jehovah  Shammah. 
Because  He  has  manifested  His  gracious  presence  in  the  midst 
of  His  people  and  established  His  throne,  blessed  His  people 
with  all  the  spiritual  and  national  blessings  promised  by 
His  holy  prophets,  destroyed  all  their  enemies,  and  covers 
all  with  His  visible  glory  once  more,  therefore  the  city  will 
have  the  name  "Jehovah  is  there."  What  a  glory  it  will 
be  for  Him.  The  city  through  which  He  once  walked  with 
weary  feet,  the  Son  of  God  garbed  in  servant's  form;  the 
city  through  which  He  was  dragged,  when  the  cross  was 
laid  upon  His  shoulders,  the  city  which  cast  Him  out,  the 
city  outside  of  which  He  endured  the  cross  and  despised  the 
shame — that  same  city  will  be  made  in  that  day  the  glory 
spot  of  the  earth. 


Date  Due 


9  4, 
55 


